President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday met with members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria over the current attacks by Boko Haram on vulnerable Nigerians in the north-east.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, president of the Conference, Bishop Ignatius Kaigama, said the delegation complained to the president about the shoddy handling of displaced persons by the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA).
He said the country had a lot of experience and expertise in handling displaced people and sharing relief materials, stressing that government needs to carry them along in its general efforts to take care of the victims of insurgency.
He said: “We are here on behalf of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria. We came not to wish him a birthday but to talk about our nation.
“We had some concerns about the situation of security in the nation as well as political developments. So, in general terms we shared with him in a conversation and discussion.
“We just wanted to remind him of things he already knows. There was nothing we said that was new. We just wanted to lay emphasis and we wanted him to know we are concerned.
“The president is already doing his bit, he has assured us that he is on top of the situation. They are reviewing strategies and all that and by the grace of God this terrorism that we are witnessing will soon be a thing of the past. This is the assurance we are coming away with.
“We feel that things are not right. Territorially, our land is being taken away, the people we look after are displaced, their homes, their villages, towns are captured and they are internally displaced being refugees in their own land. We thought this is not right. We have families that are just stranded.
“We thought that the president should know. As Catholics, we have laid a good structure for relief and taking care of such situation, we want the government to collaborate with us. We have what we call the Catholic Peace and Justice Commission, we respond when there is an emergency. We know how to technically do registration of displaced people.
“The little funds we gather we buy clothings and materials and are able to reach out very effectively. You would almost say scientifically because every victim gets something.
“So, we are telling government that we are aware of the wonderful effort they do, the relief they give through NEMA and other agencies. The effectiveness of the distribution is our concern.”