NCS to provide food interventions to displaced persons in Borno – CG

The Nigeria Customs Service (NSC), has promised to supply food items for distribution to persons displaced by Boko Haram insurgency in Borno, Malam Isa Gusau, an aide to Gov Babagana Zulum has disclosed.

Gusau, Special Adviser, Public Relations and Strategy, to Zulum, made the disclosure in a statement on Friday in Maiduguri.

He quoted the Comptroller-General of the NCS, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), as saying that the gesture was to mitigate their sufferings.

According to him, Ali made the pledge when he received Zulum at the NCS Headquarters in Abuja on Friday.

“The president has already given us the directive to channel interventions to communities affected by humanitarian challenges. I cannot tell you the figure of food stuffs to be supplied, but we will soon commence,” Ali was quoted as telling Zulum.

Ali was further quoted as saying that the NCS had been supplying food interventions to displaced persons in Borno since 2016, noting that the NCS and former Gov. Kashim Shettima enjoyed a cordial relationship in that respect.

Earlier, Zulum had said that his visit was informed by humanitarian needs in view of the inability of thousands of farming communities in northern and central parts of the state, to access their farms due to security concerns and ongoing military operations.

The statement quoted the governor as disclosing that over 150,000 people from the state were currently taking refuge in Niger and Cameroon Republics, while many farmers in resettled communities were faced with the challenge of access to safe farming.

“The intervention from the customs will be critical because donor fatigue is already setting in and slowing down humanitarian aids from familiar sources,” Zulum was quoted as telling his host.