Saudi Arabia donates food items to Boko Haram victims

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has through King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre donated 140,468 bags of food to displaced victims of Boko Haram in Borno and Yobe states.

The distribution of the donated items by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) began Wednesday at Teacher Village displaced persons’ camp in Maiduguri, Borno State.

In his remarks at flag off, the Director General of the NEMA, Mustapha Maihaja, disclosed that 125,317 baskets of food items will be distributed to 33,343 households in designated camps and communities in Borno State for the next four months.

Mr Maihaja commended the efforts of Minister of Defence, Mansur Ali, who, he said, facilitated food assistance to the North-east.

A statement by NEMA spokesperson, Sani Datti, said that in Borno State, a total 125,372 bags of 25kg of rice and beans and 62,686 cartons of condiments; each containing 4kg ‘semovita’, 2 litres of vegetables oil, 29 sachets of tomatoes, 1kg of salt and 2 Sachets of seasoning are to be distributed directly through NEMA, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and other relevant bodies using vouchers system.

“Each household of six persons will get a food basket of 59.8kg for the period of one month,” he said.

He also said that in Yobe State, a total of 15,096 bags of 25kg of rice and beans with 7,548 condiments will be distributed to 3,774 households who have been identified to benefit from the gesture where the total food basket to be distributed was put at 225,685.

The leader of the team, an Assistant Director of Emergency Aid From King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, Nasser Alsubaie, said the generous donation will benefit more than 840,000 internally displaced people in the North-east.

He said the donation is a testimony of the humanitarian commitments by the centre.

Saudi Arabia had early this year pledged to donate $10 million for capacity building to NEMA and relief assistance to the federal government in addressing the food crisis and resultant malnutrition caused by the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east.