By; SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri
The District Head of the New Marte town, BaMai Lawan Musunema has said that in spite of the security challenges the LGA is bedevilled with, UNICEF in partnership with some few partners were able to carry out some important mandatory services for children and women in New Marte with the return of some IDPs by the state government from Maiduguri City, Gunio and Monguno
He added that UNICEF actually took the risk to make its presence in New Marte felt with its workers and partners to administer oral treatment and vaccines as well as malnutrition curable treatment with the support and cooperation of the military personnel, LGC officials including the community, religious and traditional rulers who mobilized and facilitated the gathering and advocacy campaigns
In an interview with journalists in New Marte on Tuesday, the District Head said,” we are really impressed by the quality and volume of support we got from the UNICEF and other partners working in the town whose interventions brought succour and hope to our people especially the children and women that we were resettled from Maiduguri.
“Despite the issue of houses, water supply or sources of drinking water a mirage and very difficult thing to get water with this kind of population. But thank God, with the support of UNICEF and others, we now have drinking water in our neighborhoods, schools, clinic or health center, government lodge and few others which were not available on our return.
“But now we are glad of even school that our children can go to now unlike in the past when we arrived. No.achool, no water supply, no houses, no clinic or hospital, no roads to even New Marte from Dikwa. The road was bad, deplorable and inaccessible but today, one.can drive to New Marte even without escort as one can drive to Gamboru Ngala without escort.
“We are indeed grateful to UNICEF and their partners. We will remain grateful to them for coming to our aid. Although government is doing its best and playing its part alongside the military personnel, we remain indebted to UNICEF and our partners for the livelihood support and sustainability projects they implemented in New Marte.
“With the new 1,000 housing estates Governor Zulum is building in New Marte, very soon all our people who are in IDPs camps in Monguno will also join us and that invariably, our population size will increase by even 200% if all the necessary basic infrastructural facilities and amenities are not going to be provided before their relocation.
“Actually, we need additional health centers, schools, sources water, latrines, teachers, instructional materials and kits for the school children like those UNICEF provides to them and more importantly, we also need electricity in the town among others,” Ba Mai said.
It would be recalled that UNICEF for almost a decade, has been supporting the state government in several sectors with interventions in health emergencies, educational support to children and training of teachers as well as provision of instructional materials and kits to school children in partnership with some few partners to carry out some activities for the children and people of New Marte.
Most especially, children and women as beneficiaries ranging from malnutrition to water and hygiene as well as environmental sanitation , instructional materials and kits including vaccination and tests.
One of the beneficiaries, a mother of three children, aged 34 years, Hadiza Alhaji said, “when we came here, my youngest son was very sick, coupled with the change of weather, heat and wind storm which is different from that of Maiduguri city which we were becoming used to.
“He fell sick and no clinic, no hospital, no where to go to save my son’s life until UNICEF came to our rescue. The treatment they gave to my son and even later my other two children who are about four and a half years and almost seven years, helped us out.
“We are even thinking now of enrolling the first child which is a female in school to learn like her counterparts in other places. I want the UNICEF and other partners to continue with their good work,” Hadiza said.
Another returnee IDP in New Marte, Zainab Kolomi, aged 33 and has four children, said, “my children right from Maiduguri city were actually battling with issues of balanced diet. Because we were not getting enough and proper care at the IDPs camp even before we were relocated back to New Marte by the governor.
“So, the coming of UNICEF and its partners in New Marte saved our lives and those of our children. Their support and interventions gave us succour and relief to lead a better life than what it was when we came in with only food and little money for survival.
“The issue of water was terrible as there was no where to get drinking water. No where to rush for treatment or care if sick or ill, especially the children to get proper care and attention or send children to school for learning and others. But with the UNICEF’s frantic support along with their partners, we are much better now than in the past,” Zainab said.
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