Why I focus on feeding 10,000 flood victims daily – Imam
According to Imam, as the victims gradually move out of camps in a few weeks, they will be supported with rice to start cooking for themselves, as against the current practice of cooked food distribution.
The Mutawalle of Borno, Alhaji Kashim Imam, says he engages in feeding 10,000 victims of the Maiduguri flood disaster daily based on the victims’ critical requirements for now.
Imam, in an interview while monitoring the feeding program, said he would sustain the feeding, which he scaled up from 6,000 to 10,000 for the victims in camps to complement the government's efforts.
According to Imam, as the victims gradually move out of camps in a few weeks, they will be supported with rice to start cooking for themselves, as against the current practice of cooked food distribution.
He commended his family members and volunteers for the daily cooking and distributing food to flood victims in various camps.
“I want to particularly commend the military, who are not only actively engaged in search and rescue operations but also assist me in sharing the food with victims as well as ensuring orderliness and decorum during the exercise,” Imam said.
The former Board Chairman of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) also lauded the concern and response from government, organisations, philanthropists, and all other individuals to the people of Borno over the sudden incident that took people unaware.
“Nobody was prepared for this; people were caught unaware in the middle of the night.
“Many escaped with the only clothes they were wearing, with some trapped for more than a week.
“As the flood recedes, many cannot even go back to their homes because there’s no home to go back to,” Imam lamented.
A cross section of the victims benefiting from Imam’s gesture expressed gratitude for the support and urged other leaders and well-meaning Nigerians to emulate the good gesture in complementing government efforts at all levels.
“The most pressing issue now is saving lives and stabilising the survivors through feeding and shelter.
“We want to sincerely thank the Mutawalle of Borno and other philanthropists and organisations doing similar exercise in various camps.
“May God Almighty bless them and continue to touch their lives with joy and happiness as they touched our lives at this moment of need,” Habiba Idris, a displaced woman with two children, prayed.