IDS Nigeria/ IRW Partnership: Giving Back Hope to Nigeria Flood Victims By Okwo Romeon

F1: Mr Syed Mudassar Shan Representative of IRW, flagging off the distributions of the relief packages in Maiduguri Nigeria

Never the less, Africa continues to be ravished by crisis and frequent emergencies arising from natural and poor political leadership coming from her leaders and their inability to fine tune new definitions governance,

From Sudan to Somalia, Mali to Niger and Nigeria to Central Africa Republic (CAR)   Africa continues to witnessed all forms of man-made  crisis due to political inequality  among ethnic nationality and  greed with leadership.

Just like Maiduguri, another great Africa city of Tripoli and its sister state was flooded with over a three hundred deaths and billions wroth of properties destroyed ,when its river over flooded its bank early this year with most victims still left with a traumatic  emotional syndrome .

After Libya ,the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR)  southern city of Maputo was worse hit again by a torrential rain fall which its effects had created an economic social down syndrome among the very poor and vulnerable inhabitants of the City. While political stability continues to elude some of the countries in the continent ,it beholds on the western powers and its global partners to fine tune the kind of aids and grants that will be sustainable enough to cater for Africa doubling population if the Western countries is poised to keep Africans  far away from its borders as being proposed in the new immigration Policy of Uk and Europe Union.

Over the years, the United Nation arm of humanitarian agencies had estimated internal displaced persons (IDP) in Africa to be around eighteen million persons. With Nigeria Somalia, Burundi,Sudan Central Africa Republic (CAR) topping the list,Nigeria with over two hundred millions account for half of the ratio in the sub Sahel region. Most Nigeria crisis is brew from the sectarianism uprisings in the north easthern part of the country where,the Boko Haram insurgents, an offsprings of the  Al-Shabbai  with affiliations to ISIS has displaced over three million persons and their homes over the decade..

F2: Representative of Borno state Governor with others dignitaries at the occasion 

F3: IDS Stocks Food Items for Onward Distribution to the Marginalized  Flood Affected Populations

While the above linger,Nigeria has also been hit by different ethnic militias groups with various agitations for economy gains. In the Northwest it is the Banditry,a new ethnics militias group who specializes in kidnapping and cattle rustling ,the activities of the groups had led to political instability in the region with over five thousand people killed, thousands of cattle been rustling by bandits herders in Zamafara and Katsina States.

In North Central States such as Benue and Plateau, it is a challenge of the land grazing among the farmers and herders which had led to different communal clashes and results in the dead of several persons with farm produces worth hundreds of millions been destroyed. while in south eastern of the country ,the agitation for the break-away of the region is paramount with indigenous people of Biafara ( IPOB) who had became a constant threat to citizens who defiled their orders to closed down businesses till their leader,Maxi Nmandi Kanu who is held by Nigeria government for treasonable felony’s is release from detention.

This perennial crisis came with its challenges as victims  are left helpless with no alternative than to depend on support from humanitarian organizations both local and international NGOs as the crisis are too enormous for the government alone to cope with. While these humanitarian crisis continues to linger, the escalating need for child protection, livelihoods, sexual and gender based violence (SGBV), out of school children’s (OSC) and child Malnutrition became a national problem both to Nigeria government and the concerned of the global communities.

It is in this line, the Intercommunity Development Social Organisation (IDS) a Nigerian non-governmental organization (NGO) established since 2004 and Incorporated with Cooperate affair Commission  (CAC) of Nigeria 2013, and granted special Consultative Status by United Nation (UN) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 2013 had  to partner with several willing international and local donors in providing humanitarian assistance across the seven states i.e Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe Benue and Abuja(FCT) to provide assistance to the displaced persons and other marginalized groups across the trouble states.

F3: IDS  team member at the occasion .

In one of such recent intervention, the Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) with it's Nigeria Partner, the Intercommunity Development Social Organization (IDS)  Nigeria are collaborating to implement an Emergency Flood Response in Nigeria by providing relief materials such as food items (ITs) and non-food items (NFIs) including hygine kits and promoting awareness on disaster risk reduction among the vulnerable populations affected by the recent flooding in Maiduguri the Borno State Capital Northeast and Benue State Northcentral Nigeria.

The intervention which was flagged off on Tuesday in  Maiduguri the Borno State Capital commenced with the distribution of food items and nutritional items to 2,220 direct beneficiaries who were affected by flooding across Maiduguri metropolis and three local government areas in the Borno State. 

The Executive Governor of Borno State, His Excellency, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, represented by Mohammed lawan Sherif Tamsungamdua, The Secretary, Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) who flags off the project on behalf of the Governor  commended the Islamic Relief worldwide (IRW) for such a great gesture to the people of Borno State as he praised the team led by Mr. Syed Mudassar Shah to Nigeria.

Mohammed say, “the Borno State Government will continue to create an enabling environment for such good project while assuring the visitors of  the state government commitments to supporting humanitarian actors operating in the state for effective project implementation. Mohammed encourages beneficiaries not to sale their rations as the aid is comings timely as he welcomes both beneficiaries and stakeholders to the flagging off of the event.

On his part, the Project Director of Intercommunity Development Social Organization (IDS) Nigeria, McShimana Jacobs Akem expressed the organization’s appreciation to the Government of Nigeria especially the Borno State government for creating an enabling environment for humanitarian response in the state for implementation of such emergency project in the state and in country in general.

He commentted the Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) for providing IDS with funds and technical support to save more marginalized populations, especially those affected by conflicts and flooding in Borno and  even to Benue States respectively, the two states where the quick intervention project are ongoing.

The team leader of IRW who also doubles as the Program Manager, Mr. Syed Mudassar Shah in his speech,”appreciated the Nigeria government especially Borno State for their resilience and assure stakeholders and beneficiaries of the organization determination to work in Nigeria through its partners (IDS Nigeria) to compliment the efforts of the government in saving lives.  

It was a moment of joy and happiness as most beneficiaries could not hide their excitement while expressing their appreciation to IDS/IRW for the timely intervention. 

Apart from providing the emergency reliefs grants, the IRW team  while in the country are assisting its local partner with quality coaching and mentorship in programmatic areas including Financial Management, Disaster Preparedness and Response, and Reporting which will prepare them to access better grant from organizations in

 future.