The Presidency has debunked allegation from international organizations that starvation and death were imminent due to hunger and the failure of the Federal Government to provide adequately for Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs.
An arm of the United Nations recently raised alarm that 100,000 people will die due to starvation next year while another group disclosed that a million will die.
In its response, the presidency in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant, to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said, the Presidency frowned on the reports, insisting that Nigeria had a responsible government at the moment and would not let millions of Nigerians die.
The statement reads, ”The Presidency wishes to put on clear records the appreciation of the country for the increasing humanitarian assistance which continues to complement the efforts of the federal and state governments in the North-East, a region in the middle of a humanitarian crisis.
“It is a problem that the Muhammadu Buhari administration continues to handle with great sensitivity.
“Since his coming to office, the President has fully mobilized state mechanisms to deal with the problems and these needs to be appreciated.
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“This notwithstanding, we are concerned about the blatant attempts to whip up a nonexistent fear of mass starvation by some aid agencies, a type of hype that does not provide solution to the situation on the ground but more to do with calculations for operations financing locally and abroad.
“In a recent instance, one arm of the United Nations screamed that 100,000 people will die due to starvation next year. A different group says a million will die.
“There can be no doubt that the effect of the Boko Haram terrorism and their occupation of communities and destruction of houses, infrastructure and means of livelihood has been manifested in the decline of socio-economic activities throughout the North-East.
“Arising from this, farming, pastoralism, trade, exchange of goods and services and social interaction among the people have negatively been impacted, leading to the displacement of more than two million people, mostly women and children. Consequently, there is death, there is hunger and there is poor nutrition.
“The displacement pattern as revealed by the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) indicates that there are currently about two million people who are displaced.”
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