- As UNHCR donates Oxygen Concentrators to hospitals
Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has vowed that his administration will not be cowed by insecurity and other distressing issues threatening peaceful co-existence and harmony in the state.
He has also reiterated the government’s resolve to return all Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes with assurances of genuine commitment to having a robust engagement that will usher in practical pathways to solving the multiple issues bedeviling the state.
Speaking when a delegation from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) visited the Benue State Government House in Makurdi on Friday, Governor Alia said no efforts would be spared in ensuring the safety of lives and property of all those residing within the State.
He appreciated the United Nations (UN) for always offering help, restoring hope to the hopeless, giving respite to the traumatized, providing shelter to the homeless, and helping to build a better future for those who have lost their livelihoods as a result of the crisis.
A statement by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Sir Tersoo Kula quoted him as saying; “In short, you have not only been saving lives but have been ensuring that the rights and the human dignity of those being violated, persecuted, or subjected to violence get respite.
“You find for them respect and safety that their own people or authorities sometimes deny them. Above all, you build for them a better future away from their original homes, thus bringing meaning and happiness into their lives again,” the governor stated.
He appreciated the UNHCR for donating 10 Oxygen Concentrators to the state, stressing that the gesture would certainly go a long way in helping the government improve its healthcare delivery services to the Benue people.
In her speech during the visit, the Team Leader and Head of UNHCR Sub-office in Ogoja, Ms Irene Omendi, lauded the Benue State government for hosting them, especially for allowing refugees of Cameroon descent to settle in Ikyogen, Kwande local government area of the State.
She said the government’s hospitality towards the refugees and the peaceful coexistence noticeable between the locals and refugees are quite commendable, adding that the Alia-led administration deserves kudos for its efforts at returning the IDPs in the state to their ancestral homes.
Ms Omendi pleaded for more support for the IDPs through the provision of schools, hospitals, and other basic amenities, assuring that the UNHCR would not renege in its support, including promoting capacity-building programmes for the IDPs.
The Team Leader further said that given the government’s hospitality towards the refugees, the UNHRC has decided to donate 10 Oxygen Concentrators at Abande, Ikyogen as well as at St. Monica’s Hospital Adikpo, as medical intervention to the people of the area.
