Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has said that his administration has resorted giving palliatives as a means of addressing the immediate needs of people affected by Boko Haram insurgency, before laying the foundation for long-term solutions.
In an interactive session with journalists in Gajiram, Nganzai LGA of the state on Saturday, Zulum said he is not creating dependency among the displaced persons but rather to bring succor to the communities whose sources of livelihood were cut off due to activities of Boko Haram insurgents.
According to him, his administration’s frequent distribution of food palliative was necessary to strike a balance between the immediate needs of the people and laying a solid foundation for a lasting change.
“We are not creating dependency. You can see our efforts in reviving the agricultural sector. People should take note that what we are doing is necessary. We only give food items in places extremely affected by insurgency and gradually,we are transiting out,” he said.
He however, said there is the need to provide a long-term development rather than relying on short-term solutions such as palliative distribution, in order to alleviate the sufferings of the people affected by the decade-long insurgency.
Zulum noted that apart from food palliatives distribution to vulnerable people most affected by the insurgency, remarkable development has been achieved in all the critical sectors such as healthcare, education, security and infrastructure in the state.
WikkiTimes understand that Zulum was in Gajiram to supervise the distribution of food and non-food items and N25 million cash to over 25,000 families jointly donated by North East Development Commission and Borno State Government with 10,000 male and 15,000 female as beneficiaries.
