The Nigerian Media has been urged to go beyond desk reportage on humanitarian issues.
Editor in Chief, Prnigeria, Yusha’u Shu’aib made the call at a One-day Round table interface with Media and Stakeholders on Humanitarian situation in Kebbi and Niger States, which held in Abuja, Nigeria.
He said the Nigerian Media must keep to their responsibility of holding the government accountable to the people while protecting the sovereignty of the nation.
In his presentation, Mukhtar Madibo said investigation showed that the plights of IDPs in Chonoko town of Zuru Emirate in Kebbi state, Northwest Nigeria, was enormous and underreported.
“As a result of incessant bandits’ attacks, people were not allowed to have free access to their farms and work which serve as their major source of livelihoods. This has greatly reduced the quantity of agricultural supplies which has equally been threatening food security and also increasing the unemployment rate. Education is another critical sector that was also badly hit due to this insecurity.
“Government and security forces should sustain their efforts towards restoring peace and security to the affected communities. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) should look into the situation of these IDPs by providing them with relief materials.
“These items should include; foodstuff, detergents, clothes, wrappers, mattresses etc. Also, agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, chemicals, seeds etc. should also be distributed in order to improve agricultural activities.”
Mr. Madibo further called on International donor agencies including the International Red Cross Society (IRCS) to intervene in the awful situation of the IDPs, especially in providing them with adequate shelter so as to reduce too much population in their overcrowded settlements.
Responding to questions at the Roundtable, the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, said there’s need for collaboration with security agencies to ensure that responses to the affected areas are immediate impactful.
The Head of Media for NEMA, Ezekiel Manzo noted that, the Agency alone cannot access some communities.
He however noted that the Agency has a Monitoring and evaluation Unit which ensure that the Agency gets feedback on every interventions made.
