Betta Edu Donates 120 Business Equipment, Awards Scholarships to Benue IDPs

From Dooshima Terkura, Makurdi

Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Betta Edu, has empowered Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Benue State with business equipment, scholarships and food supplies as part of activities marking her 40th birthday.

The intervention, held at Ichwa IDP camp in Makurdi, featured the donation of 40 sewing machines, 40 grinding machines, 40 refrigerators or deep freezers, and 40 sets of hairdressing equipment, alongside scholarships for 40 children.
Edu also announced vocational training for women, special assistance for persons with disabilities and food support for displaced families.

Speaking during the outreach, Edu said she deliberately chose to celebrate her milestone birthday with displaced persons rather than host an elaborate party or travel abroad. She described the gesture as an expression of gratitude to God and the fulfilment of a personal promise.

She recalled that during a visit to an IDP camp in Benue in October 2023, the suffering of displaced families moved her to tears and inspired her to promise that she would return to support them if she lived to celebrate her 40th birthday.

Edu said the outreach was aimed at helping displaced persons overcome hardship, regain their economic independence and rebuild their lives beyond the camps.

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She explained that the business equipment was intended to provide beneficiaries with opportunities to establish small-scale enterprises and generate income to support their families.

According to her, 40 women would receive sewing machines and undergo tailoring training to equip them with the skills needed to start their own businesses, while the grinding machines, refrigerators and hairdressing equipment would support other income-generating activities.

The former minister said the intervention went beyond immediate relief, stressing that displaced persons needed sustainable livelihood opportunities to become self-reliant and eventually resettle in their communities.

She also announced scholarships for 40 children from the camp, saying the initiative was designed to prevent financial hardship from depriving displaced children of access to education.

Edu disclosed that her scholarship programme, which began in 2016, had supported approximately 40,000 Nigerian children over the past decade, according to her records.

She said the programme was initially established to assist children in her community in Adadama, Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State, where communal conflicts had affected families’ ability to provide education for their children.

She urged parents in the camps to prioritise their children’s education, noting that education could provide them with opportunities to overcome the difficulties associated with displacement.

Edu also warned parents and guardians against exposing girls to sexual exploitation and abuse in exchange for money or other material benefits, insisting that children must be protected regardless of their families’ circumstances.

To ensure that the intervention reached beyond the selected beneficiaries of business equipment and scholarships, she said bags of rice had been prepared for distribution to displaced families attending the event.

She further disclosed that persons with disabilities and other physically challenged individuals would receive special consideration under the empowerment programme.

Edu acknowledged the contributions of friends and supporters who assisted in funding and organising the outreach, adding that the initiative was a collective effort to support vulnerable Nigerians.

She also commended the medical team at the venue, which she said had attended to close to 10,000 people by the time she delivered her remarks.

The former minister praised President Bola Tinubu and Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, for their efforts towards addressing the humanitarian challenges facing displaced persons in the state.

She said conditions at the camp had improved compared with what she observed during her previous visit in October 2023, expressing hope that sustained interventions would enable more displaced families to leave the camps and rebuild their lives.

Speaking, Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, represented by his deputy, Sam Ode, described Edu’s decision to celebrate her birthday with IDPs as a demonstration of compassion and solidarity with vulnerable members of society.

The governor noted that insecurity had forced many residents from their communities, disrupted their livelihoods, separated families from their ancestral homes and interrupted children’s education, while also placing additional pressure on host communities.

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to working with the Federal Government, humanitarian organisations, development partners, religious institutions and other stakeholders to improve the welfare of displaced persons.

Alia said addressing displacement required a comprehensive approach that included security, shelter, food, healthcare, education, clean water and livelihood restoration.

He stressed that the government’s objective was to create conditions that would allow displaced persons to return to their communities voluntarily and with dignity, assuring them that nobody would be forced to return to an unsafe environment.

Alia also pledged continued assistance for people remaining in camps and host communities, while urging them to remain hopeful and supportive of one another.

He assured Edu that the donated items would be distributed judiciously and utilised for their intended purposes of promoting economic empowerment and supporting lasting solutions to displacement.

The governor called for stronger cooperation among government agencies, humanitarian organisations, civil society groups and private sector actors to address the plight of displaced persons and promote lasting peace in Benue State.