The federal government, through the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has begun the collection of data of people affected by the prevailing insecurity in some local government areas of Katsina State.

Ministry team leader, Nadia Muhammed-Soso, said on Thursday in Katsina that the aim was to mainstream the victims into all National Social Investment Programmes.

Mrs Muhammed-Soso who heads the ministry’s Special Duties Department, was represented by Funke Olatunji.

She said during a sensitisation on the survey, that the victims had suffered enough and required life changing support.

“It is a fact that insecurity in Nigeria has continued to restrict access to basic services and both affected people and host communities require emergency support and other necessary humanitarian assistance.

“To this end, the ministry whose mandate is to provide assistance for vulnerable groups in Nigeria, has realised the enormous challenges faced by the victims of terrorism across Nigeria and has commenced a pilot phase of sensitisation and survey of the victims.”

The official listed the programmes run by the ministry to include Conditional Cash Transfer, Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme, N-Power, National Home Grown School Feeding Programme and Grant for Vulnerable Groups .

“The ministry intends to mainstream the victims into all National Social Investment Programmes with a view to strengthening their resilience through social inclusion and provision of durable solutions,” she added.

Mrs Muhammed-Soso expressed hope that the beneficiaries of the exercise will make good use of the opportunity and provide concrete information that will guide the ministry in achieving its set goals.

According to her, the ministry will continue to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders in providing a non-kinetic approach to fighting terrorism in the country.

She commended the Katsina State government and other relevant stakeholders for all efforts made in providing succour to terrorism victims in the state.

Earlier, Itoro Moses-Duku, Principal Administrative Officer in the ministry said that the government was aware of the sufferings of the victims of terrorism and planned to support them.

Mrs Moses-Duku said the sensitisation was to tell the victims, who are mostly women and children, how the ministry intended to support and bring them out of their suffering.

The permanent secretary in the state’s Department of Higher Education, Halliru Duwan, said the programme was a good development for the victims and the state.

He assured the state would provide necessary support to the team.

Mr Duwan said that 11 of the 34 LGAs in the state were affected by insecurity.

Some of the victims enumerated in Jibia, Batsari and Kurfi LGAs appealed to both the federal and state governments to provide them with shelter. 

(NAN)