NGOs must notify emergency, welfare agencies before accessing the vulnerable – FEMA insists

By Stanley Onyekwere

Faith based societies, Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and spirited individuals seeking to carry out any outreach this Christmas and the New Year have been directed to officially notify relevant government emergency and welfare agencies, before accessing the vulnerable especially those in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camps, destitute and orphanage homes, within the six Area Councils of the FCT.
In particular they are directed to notify FEMA, NEMA or the Social Welfare Department of the FCT Administration.
This was disclosed in a recent statement issued by Head, Public Affairs at the FEMA, Nkechi Isa, in Abuja, which explained directive is to ensure proper documentation and profiling before the sharing of food and other consumables to indigent people in the FCT.
It added that the directive had become necessary following media reports alleging hospitalization of 200 pupils of a school in Osun State who took ill after the consumption of food served by an NGO.
According to the statement, the Acting Director General of FEMA, Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim Sabo, noted any persons, groups, society, NGOs, or faith-based societies violating the directive will be apprehended by security agencies and prosecuted according to the law.
Sabo assured that the Agency in collaboration with it’s stakeholders is on red alert to ensure a risk free Christmas and New Year celebration.
He however, appealed to vulnerable residents of FCT to exercise caution in accepting cooked food from groups or NGOs during and after the yuletide season.