N1.275bn IDP Fund: Benue SSG Details Expenditure on Cash Transfers, Resettlement, Health, Security

From Dooshima Terkura, Makurdi

The Secretary to the Benue State Government and Chairman of the Technical Committee on the Implementation of Donations for the IDP Community, Mrs Deborah Aber, has presented a detailed account of how the N1 billion donation by Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, alongside other contributions, was utilized to assist internally displaced persons (IDPs) across the state.

Addressing journalists in Makurdi on Monday, Aber recounted that although Benue has faced years of violent attacks and displacement, the June attack on Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area attracted nationwide attention.
She explained that while the incident led to a visit by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who inspected the devastation and promised federal support to restore peace and deliver justice to victims, the First Lady later led senior officials to the state and announced a N1 billion intervention to mitigate the humanitarian crisis.
Aber disclosed that additional donations were received from the Nasarawa State Government, which contributed N150 million; United Bank for Africa, which donated N100 million; and the Department of State Services Director General, who provided N25 million. This brought the total fund to N1.275 billion.
She stated that Governor Hyacinth Alia established a technical committee under her leadership to ensure transparency and accountability in the disbursement of the funds. The committee was mandated to assess pressing needs among displaced persons and affected host communities.
According to Aber, consultations were conducted with IDP representatives across the state, leading to the identification of priority areas such as food, shelter, healthcare, education, livelihoods, security, and long-term resettlement.
While interventions extended to impacted communities statewide, she noted that Yelewata received priority attention since the donations were prompted by the attack there. She added that beneficiary mapping and data verification were carried out to guarantee proper targeting.
Under the food and nutrition component, coordinated by the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), food supplies were distributed across the state in December 2025. Additionally, a cash transfer programme provided N50,000 each to 1,000 vulnerable households to support livelihoods. She revealed that N56,325,000 was allocated for cash transfers, with 90 percent of beneficiaries already paid.
In the health sector, N112,250,000 was dedicated to medical outreach and supplies, while 5,833 IDPs were enrolled in the Benue State Health Insurance Scheme with their premiums fully covered, granting them access to essential healthcare services.
For Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) initiatives, N125,325,000 was expended. Aber reported that three boreholes were successfully drilled in Yelewata after earlier unsuccessful attempts, and water reticulation was extended approximately two kilometres to a new resettlement site. She further disclosed that a water treatment plant was completed in Naka, Gwer West LGA, in collaboration with the European Union and implemented by the International Organization for Migration, ending years of potable water scarcity in the area.
On shelter and resettlement, N28,900,000 was assigned for shelter support, while N277,350,000 funded resettlement projects, including the approval of 60 prototype homes for displaced families in Yelewata. Construction of 43 two-bedroom houses has begun, with three already roofed. She appealed to partners to assist the state in expanding the housing initiative.
Security interventions accounted for N56,125,000 to strengthen safety in affected communities. Agriculture received N56,125,000 for farm inputs to revive livelihoods, while N21,625,000 supported broader livelihood programmes. Host communities were allocated N127,500,000 to ease the strain on local infrastructure and services.
Education projects, including the construction of four classrooms in Yelewata, consumed N148,175,000, while N16,000,000 financed peace and reconciliation efforts through the state’s Peace Commission. A sustainability fund of N24,800,000 was also reserved to maintain ongoing support programmes.
Aber affirmed that the entire N1.275 billion was systematically distributed across the various sectors, stressing that the interventions were structured not only to deliver immediate relief but also to restore dignity, rebuild communities, and promote long-term stability.
She encouraged the public to independently verify the ongoing projects in Yelewata and other beneficiary communities, assuring that the funds donated in response to the crisis were being transparently deployed to rebuild lives throughout Benue State.