The Neo Black Movement (NBM) of Africa on Friday, donated food items worth millions of naira as palliatives to members of Ewu-Okuama Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) following their displacement over Okuama crisis in Ughelli South LGA of Delta State.
The Pan-African group also donated the sum of N2m to Okuama community to assist the people in rebuilding their community destroyed by the Nigerian Army in retaliation to the killing of 17 soldiers on March 14, 2024.
National President of NBM of Africa, Olorogun Ese Kakor, who led the delegation, commended the Delta State government led by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for the level of infrastructure provided at Ewu-Okuama IDP camp at Ughelli South local government area of the state.
He also called on well-meaning individuals and organisations to emulate NBM Africa’s gesture and come to the aid of displaced people of Okuama, noting that with what he saw at the Ewu-Okuama IDP Camp, Delta State government alone can’t manage the humanitarian crisis.
Olorogun Kakor, before presenting the food items and the N2m cheque to the chairman of Ewu-Okuama IDP Management Committee, Mr Abraham Ogbodo, requested the members of NBM of Africa and officials of the camp to sing the new national anthem, “Nigeria We Hail Thee”.
Speaking on why presenting the food items and the N2m cheque, the NBM of Africa President said: “We want to appreciate the Delta State governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori for setting up this IDP Camp at Ewu-Urhobo to shelter our people from Okuama, the facilities we saw here are commendable for a camp.
“We also thank the Ewu-Okuama Internally Displaced Persons Management Committee for the great job you are doing and we want to urge them not to relent in the good work.”
He stressed that in no distant time, many Deltans and Nigerians would come to offer their support.
“As you may know, the primary aim of NBM of Africa is to carry out humanitarian services wherever there is a need. So, we have come today to offer these items and money to alleviate the sufferings of our Okuama people.
“In the 2021 flood that ravaged many states across the country, NBM of Africa donated palliatives to 13 states, this we do any where in the world that you find out members and that is what we have come here to do, to put smile on the faces of our people.
“From what we saw in the camp today, we have over 200 displaced women and children that urgently need assistance, so, we brought 500 tubers of yam, 400 5kg bags of rice, 200 5kg bags of beans and three big bags of onions. I think this will go a long way in providing succour to the Okuama people.
“I am also using this opportunity to appeal to governmental and non-governmental organi#ations to also provide palliatives to this IDP Camp at Ewu-Urhobo and to Okuama people to help them rebuild and start life again.
“We are calling of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and other international agencies to also focus on Okuama and provide succour, they should not just focus their attention and assistance to outside Africa.
“The Okuama people are primarily subsistence farmers, all their homes and means of livelyhood have been completely destroyed. So, they need assistance to start afresh and go back to their ascestrial homes.
“As an organisation, we are giving Okuama community the sum of N2m cheque as our support to rebuilding of their community, we know this might be small, but we are setting the pace for others to follow.”
Olorogun Kakor also promised to keep in constant touch with Ewu-Okuama IDP Management Committee and when there is more funds, they will come back.
In a related development, an Urhobo socio-cultural group, Urhobo Arise, also donated a cow to the Ewu-Okuama Internally Displaced Persons Camp at Ewu-Urhobo on Friday.
Presenting the cow on behalf of Urhobo Arise, Mr Fidelis Odia, said that the group is made up of some Urhobo intellectuals that saw the need in the Ewu-Okuama IDP Camp and tasked themselves to provide the cow in the first instance.
According to him, “As Urhobo people, we identify with the pains and suffering of the Okuama people and we also applaud the efforts of the Delta State government so far with what we saw here at the camp.
“We also support and identify with the initiative of the Delta State government, that is why we in Urhobo Arise came today to donate this cow to support the ongoing efforts in first instance.”
Also speaking, the chairman of Ewu-Okuama IDP Management Committee, Mr Abraham Ogbodo, thanked the Neo Black Movement of Africa and the Urhobo Arise for their gestures, noting that their interventions will go along way in boosting what the camp was providing.
He also called on well-meaning individuals, international and corporate organisations to rally round and support the people of Okuama by emulating the good gestures of NBM or Africa and Urhobo Arise.
He noted that the level of devastation and destruction visited on Okuama was not what the Delta State government can handle alone.
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