Zamfara children are desperate and Governor Matawalle is MIA, but you can help

It’s great to be back on this column after a break for personal reasons, some of which I will explain in the coming months. A lot has happened since  October  20 when I last wrote: the 2022 budget has been passed; Buhari declined to assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill 2020 (déjà vu); hundreds more […]

It’s great to be back on this column after a break for personal reasons, some of which I will explain in the coming months. A lot has happened since  October  20 when I last wrote: the 2022 budget has been passed; Buhari declined to assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill 2020 (déjà vu); hundreds more Nigerians have been killed, kidnapped and raped including those burnt alive in Sokoto last month; protests broke out among groups that used to support the President, including in London; this prompted a ferocious crackdown on bandit terrorists, forcing Bello Turji, the most notorious of them all, to beg for peace. Meanwhile, I started a weekly Facebook live discussion of the issues of the day, which you are welcome to join.

But the crises do not stop to allow an absent columnist to catch up; the issue of the day is the plight of hundreds of thousands of children and women in the North West for whom life has become an endless nightmare. I was moved to tears by BBC Hausa’s interviews with internally displaced families in Zamfara on December 30. I was not the only one. The intense wail of the starving baby was like a jackhammer strike in the head. The ceaseless coughing of the child who sleeps in the piercing cold of the open was excruciating. The picture presented was an unbearable tragedy.

There are, by official figures, about 700, 000 people displaced from their homes and farms in Zamfara State alone. They are spread across 14 local government areas because there not a single IDP camp in the state. They pass torturous nights in abandoned buildings, on roadsides, at motor parks, open markets and similar places. They cannot afford clean drinking water, not to mention a meal. Unsurprisingly, many are sick and cannot afford the most basic medical care. For them, life is as brutish as it can be.

And what has the Zamfara government done to help its people? Absolutely nothing! The government has refused to set up IDP camps; it has failed to feed the hungry and care for the sick. It does not even acknowledge the problem, despite facts so glaring that it might as well deny the year 2022. With a government in denial and without designated IDP camps, domestic and humanitarian organisations are unable to help. The few that defy the odds are doing so at great security risk and inevitably inefficiently.

Instead of being there for his people when they need him the most, the governor of Zamfara is busy traversing the world as though he was elected as “Chief Global Explorer”, not Governor. He might be in London yesterday, sleep in New York today and fly to Paris tomorrow. That is after spending weeks meandering in Abuja. In the last quarter of last year, Omicron was the number one international traveller. For the second position, President Buhari and Governor Matawalle are head-to-head. Governor Matawalle has sadly become the Chief Wanderer of Nigerian Governors. And like, Buhari, he has absolutely nothing to show for his cruising from country to country. Most Zamfarawa think he is just flying around for fun. I cannot disagree.

The federal government has not stepped in to fill the governance gap. The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Umar Farouq, is herself from Zamfara State. She was appointed to this position because she is a woman and from Zamfara and she is supposed to represent the people of Zamfara in the federal cabinet. But she has done nothing to help the women and children of her state devastated by terrorists. If Sadiya cannot help her own constituency what more of the rest of Nigerians?

Luckily, good Nigerians are not content with watching their brothers and sisters starve or freeze to death. One outcome of last week’s Facebook live discussion, dozens of ordinary Nigerians reached out seeking a way to help, leading to a partnership with the Zamfara Circle. They would provide dependable team of volunteers on the ground who will distribute under supervision the resources we mobilise.

The response when we publicised this plan was overwhelming. Over the past three days, we have raised more than N9.79 million and more is still coming in. Raising just shy of N10m in three days is truly incredible, thanks to ordinary Nigerians. The money came from everyday Nigerians in N100, N200 and N500 amounts. One person could only afford N30, but he knew it could make a difference. He or she was right! N30 can make a huge difference. It could be the difference between life and death for the child inflicted with cholera or catarrh. I wouldn’t be surprised if this donor’s total saving is N100. This would mean they contributed 30 per cent of their entire saving to help their brothers and sisters in need. If this is not incredible, nothing can be. This is the dawn of a New Nigeria where we each would be our brother’s keeper.

But given the dire demand, N10 million is like a drop in the ocean. So we have decided to prioritise the IDPs that are most in need. IDPs which can stay with family or friends are better off than those sleeping on the roadside. Children with both parents are better off than orphans. Further, we decided to prioritise the basic needs: 70 per cent of the funds will go to food supplies, 20 per cent to clothing, especially weather-appropriate clothing for children, while the remaining 10 per cent will go to medicines and medical outreach. Our dedicated teams and coordinators are currently working flat out to ensure that these critical supplies reach those most in need as soon as humanly possible. We are partnering with security agencies, traditional authorities and other stakeholders to ensure seamless operation, but shall not let anyone hijack the process and divert the items.

Donations are still on and I urge you to chip in what you can into account #4091041192 in the name of Zamfara Circle Community Initiative with Polaris Bank. You can find more details and updates on every kobo contributed on my Facebook page, AUDU BULAMA BUKARTI. But you don’t necessarily have to help through us. If you can, give a hand to your brothers and sisters in Zamfara and other states in the North West and across Nigeria in any way you can.

Our donations can only do so much. Governments have got to rise to their primary responsibility. Thus, we reiterate our call on President Buhari, Minister Farouq and Governor Matawalle to set up IDP camps – urgently and feed and care for IDPs in Zamfara and across the North West and the North Central. A camp would ensure shelter, security and targeted support for neediest and ease identifying and reaching those genuine in want. Failing to do this in the next few days will be failing to discharge the most basic function of government, which will be a monumental disgrace to the president and the governor.

Permit to close by mourning the loss of a national hero, Alhaji Bashir Othman Tofa, who left us on Monday. He was a man of integrity and an embodiment of values who lived a worthy life. May Ar-Raheem admit him to Jannah and us when our time comes.