CRITICISM: Borno APC Says Opposition PDP Insensitive to Plights of IDPs
The PDP had called for the probe of Borno government’s recent sharing of N500 million cash to departing IDPs in now closed Bakassi Camp
Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Borno state, Ali Dalori has condemned the main opposition party PDP for the comments the party made over recent steps taken by the Government of Borno state to close camps and return IDPs to their original communities.
Governor Zulum had last month announced the closure of Bakassi IDP camp, one of the biggest and oldest in Borno, after distributing exit allowances and foodstuff to the over 3000 households.
Governor Zulum’s media aides had announced that a total of about N500 million was distributed in cash to the exiting IDPs with all male and female heads of households getting N100,000 each, while housewives get N50,000.
This announcement was immediately condemned by the opposition PDP who called out the government for not being honest with its spending on IDP welfare.
PDP’s state spokesman, Amos Adziba, said in a viral statement shared on social media that “the PDP Borno state, calls for probe and distance itself from the .5 billion jamborees for departing IDP’s, describing it as a scene in a school play and a minds game targeting at scoring cheap political points,”
Reacting to the PDP statement, the APC state chairman, recent Hon Ali Dalori, said the statement which attacks the person of Governor Zulum was “unfortunate”.
The APC said, “it’s sad that while the people of Borno and Nigeria in general including the IDPs were happy over the gradual return of peace in Borno with massive resettlement and stabilization programmes, the PDP politicians who had remained silent over the plight of the IDPs for years, would now come out to criticise proactive actions taken to empower traumatized IDPs”.
Reacting to the PDP statement during the official tour of Governor Zulum in Southern Borno Senatorial District where numerous projects executed in the last two and half years of his government were commissioned, Dalori said, “ordinarily the APC in the state would not have reacted to the antics of the sinking PDP, but is good to put the notion in better perspective for public interest”.
“It is embarrassing and illogical for PDP to think of nothing rather than playing politics with the issue of security and plight of IDPs in the state,” he said.
“While diverse people across Nigeria irrespective of party affiliation, state, faith, including international organisations are hailing and supporting the measures taken by the state APC led administration in tackling insecurity and the welfare of IDPs, it is disheartening that our brothers in PDP have opted unparalleled by choosing to politicize security matter.
“I want to urge them to show patriotism as citizens of Borno where we choose to work collectively for peace and progress by supporting the process and bringing their contribution to support the IDPs as other stakeholders, home and abroad are doing.
“I don’t see anything wrong in empowering vulnerable persons, particularly thousands of IDPs that were given N100,000 per head of family and N50,000 for the women each, alongside food items and other incentives,” Dalori said.
