The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has shown its support for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees in Benue State by donating 10 Oxygen Concentrators to their camps and hospitals.
The donation was made on Friday during a courtesy visit by a UNHCR delegation led by Ms Irene Omendi, the head of its Ogoja sub-office, to Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The UNHCR also praised the Benue State government for hosting refugees from Cameroon at Ikyogen, Kwande local government area, and fostering peaceful coexistence between them and the local communities.
Ms Omendi said: “Because of the hospitality accorded the refugees by the state government, the UNHRC has decided to donate 10 Oxygen Concentrators at Abande, Ikyogen as well as at St. Monica’s Hospital Adikpo, as medical intervention to the people of the area.”
She also commended Governor Alia for his efforts to return the IDPs to their ancestral homes and urged him to provide more support for the displaced persons in terms of schools, hospitals and other basic amenities. She assured him of her organisation’s continued support, especially in the area of capacity building.
Governor Alia thanked the UNHCR for its gesture and expressed his commitment to tackling the issues that threaten peace and harmony in the state.
He said: “You have not only been saving lives but have been ensuring that the rights and the human dignity of those being violated, persecuted or subjected to violence get respite. You find for them respect and safety that their people or authorities sometimes deny them. Above all, you build for them a better future away from their original homes, thus bringing meaning and happiness into their lives again.”
He also reiterated his resolve to return the IDPs to their ancestral homes and promised to have a robust engagement with the UNHCR to find practical solutions to the multiple challenges facing peace and harmony in the state.
He said: “The donation of 10 Oxygen Concentrators by the UNHCR will certainly go a long way in helping us to improve our healthcare delivery services to Benue people.”