The minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, has expressed the ministry’s interest to partner with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in the area of humanitarian interventions and National Social Investment Programmes (NSIPs).
In a statement made available to Blueprint in Abuja Thursday, which was signed by the ministry’s Assistant Director for Information, Rhoda Ishaku Iliya, Farouq stated this while receiving in audience the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshall Sadique Baba Abubakar and his entourage, in her office, commending the NAF for providing logistics to the ministry and its agencies to achieve its mandate.
She noted that the ministry will soon commence routine monitoring visits of the humanitarian interventions to the North East and solicited the continuous support in logistics services from the NAF.
She said: “The CAS has demonstrated an uncommon zeal in alleviating the problems of the victims of insurgency through conduct of several medical outreaches, establishing emergency hospitals in Dalori and Bama, provision of potable water and accommodations in IDPs camps in the North East. I am aware also that NAF has established a Directorate of Humanitarian Affairs.
“This ministry will always partner with NAF in order to support each other to achieve our mandates. I am also pleased to note that the NAF has established School Feeding in some IDPs camps in the North East. The Home Grown Feeding Programme is part of the mandate of this ministry and we will find a way to collaborate with NAF to ensure the success of this programme.”
Also speaking, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Baba Abubakar, said the purpose of his visit was to explore areas of more collaborations with the ministry, especially the School Feeding Programme and other empowerment programmes; to improve the wellbeing of the officers and men of the NAF and their families.
Air Marshall Abubakar pledged the support of the NAF in providing logistics in the airlifting of relief materials and personnel for humanitarian intervention.
