From Yahaya Idris, Makurdi
Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, has marked her 40th birthday with internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Benue State, rolling out business start-up grants, scholarships, medical services and other forms of support aimed at improving the welfare of vulnerable families.
The birthday outreach, held on Tuesday at Ichwa IDP Camp in Makurdi, featured humanitarian interventions designed to help displaced persons rebuild their livelihoods, support their children’s education and meet their immediate needs.
According to the details of the initiative, the programme included free medical care for more than 10,000 people across various IDP camps, 40 business start-up grants, 40,000 academic scholarships over 10 years, 40 sewing machines, 40 grinding machines, 40 deep freezers, 40 mobile hair-washing kits, vocational training and the distribution of 4,000 wrappers, alongside food and non-food items.
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Speaking with journalists during the outreach, Edu said her decision to celebrate her birthday with displaced persons was motivated by gratitude to God and her commitment to humanitarian service, rather than political considerations.
“Today, I am in Benue because it is my birthday. I am here to reach out to thousands of people in IDP camps across the state. This is my passion and my covenant with God and humanity,” she said.
Edu recalled visiting Benue in 2023, when she met some of the displaced persons personally, adding that the experience strengthened her resolve to continue supporting affected families as they work towards rebuilding their lives.
She explained that the livelihood support was designed to provide beneficiaries with practical tools and start-up resources to establish small businesses and achieve financial independence.
The equipment distributed included sewing machines for tailoring, grinding machines for small-scale processing businesses, deep freezers for preservation and sales, as well as hairdressing kits to support vocational enterprises.
The initiative also featured educational assistance and scholarships intended to help displaced children return to school and continue their studies despite the disruptions caused by displacement.
Edu said the distribution of food and non-food items was intended to ease the immediate hardship faced by vulnerable households while longer-term solutions were pursued.
She noted that the intervention was intended to complement efforts by President Bola Tinubu, First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu and Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, to improve the welfare of displaced persons.
The former minister also acknowledged the contributions of government institutions and international partners, stressing that humanitarian responses must go beyond temporary relief to deliver sustainable solutions.
According to her, the ultimate objective is to ensure that displaced families can return to their ancestral communities when conditions permit, rebuild their homes and regain the ability to support themselves and contribute to food production and national development.
“The real idea is to ensure that we can pull them out of here back to their ancestral homes and permanently settle so they can be productive and support Nigeria with food,” she said.
Edu further called on the international community, development partners and well-meaning Nigerians to collaborate with the Benue State Government in addressing the humanitarian challenges confronting displaced communities.
She said Benue was selected for the birthday outreach because of the scale of the humanitarian challenges facing displaced persons in the state and the need for sustained interventions to support affected families.
The celebration attracted expressions of appreciation from beneficiaries, with residents of the camp reportedly welcoming the assistance and praying for Edu’s continued success.
Women and youths outside the camp were also said to have benefited from aspects of the empowerment programme.
The outreach combined immediate humanitarian relief with livelihood, health and educational support, underscoring the need for sustained interventions to help displaced families move towards economic recovery, self-reliance and durable resettlement.