Governor Hyacinth Alia has disclosed that more than 6,273 of the state’s most vulnerable citizens from 15 Internally Displaced Persons Camps (IDP) have signed up for the Benue State Health Insurance Scheme, allowing them to get necessary medical care.

When Governor Alia welcomed the UN delegation in Makurdi, which was led by Paola Pace, the IOM Chief of Mission, and Alexandre Castellano, the Head of Office of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), he bemoaned the dire circumstances in which the famed Food Basket of the Nation has been subjected to ongoing attacks and displacement crises in the North-Central region of Nigeria.
He stated, “The 1.5 million displaced people living in 26 camps throughout the state are struggling with a lack of adequate shelter, restricted access to sanitary facilities and clean water, inadequate healthcare services, and robust protection mechanisms.”

Women, children, and people with disabilities have been most severely impacted by the negative coping mechanisms brought on by the IDPs, which include early marriages, transactional activities, and decreased food intake. In addition to providing social services and resources to host communities to ease the burden of the influx of displaced people, we have also deployed more than 5,000 Civil Protection Guards who collaborate with security agencies to offer a vital line of defense against potential threats.

“As we set out on this mission, we are sure that our discussions will result in practical plans to improve the lives of the displaced and their host communities, and my administration is steadfast in its commitment to tackling the underlying causes of attacks and displacement in order to create long-term solutions for our people.”

In order to ensure food security and promote economic independence and stability, the governor declared that they were working with partners to provide agricultural inputs, training, and resources to displaced people and the host communities so they could resume farming.