Governor Babagana Zulum has distributed food and cash assistance to 53,000 families affected by pest invasion in Dikwa LGA.

The donated items include food for 18,000 male heads of households and cash support, along with clothing materials, for 35,000 women.

The distribution, which took place at the premises of the Shehu of Dikwa’s palace, followed a massive invasion of quelea birds and other pests that destroyed most of the farmlands on which the community relies for livelihood.

Mr. Zulum, who supervised the exercise on Monday, said the intervention was aimed at mitigating the effects of the disaster and preventing a looming food crisis.

“The last time we distributed food items in Dikwa was about 18 months ago. This is because we believe there is improved security in the state and people have returned to farming; we reduced humanitarian support by 90 per cent.

“We came here today to support them because of the drought that affected them in 2024 and the pest invasion that destroyed farmlands this season,” the governor said.

According to him, each of the 18,000 male heads of households received two bags of rice and sorghum.

He said 35,000 women received N10,000 each and a wrapper, amounting to a total of N350 million in direct cash assistance.

Mr Zulum expressed delight that farmers in Dikwa were actively engaged in farming activities despite the challenges they faced.

He reiterated his administration’s commitment to strengthening agriculture, particularly in the area of pest control, to safeguard farmers from losing their outputs.

(NAN)