BREAKING: Despite Boko Haram attacks, Osinbajo arrives Borno to flag off distribution of foods in the north east (video)

- Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria's acting president, has arrived Borno despite an attack by the Boko Horam insurgents in the state yesterday, June 7, 2017

- The acting president will be flagging off a federal government programme of distributing grains in the region

- The FG is expected to distribute 30,000 metric tonnes  which comprise of Maize, Sorghum and Soyabeans, grown locally by Nigerian farmers and purchased from Nigerian companies

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has arrived Borno state to flag off distribution grains in the north east.

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The Programme is a new initiative of the Federal Government that aims to distribute food to 1.8m persons affected by insurgency in the North East.

According to the Presidency, "the distribution will be carried out on behalf of the Federal Government by officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in partnership with State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) and International Humanitarian Agencies. NEMA has assured that it is taking all the measures necessary to ensure transparent and equitable distribution of the grain.

The Presidency went further to say that "the total amount of food to be distributed in the first phase being flagged off by Acting President Osinbajo on June 8, 2017 is 30,000 metric tonnes — comprising Maize, Sorghum and Soyabeans, grown locally by Nigerian farmers and purchased from Nigerian companies.

"The Federal Government will buy the grain to be distributed from local farmers and suppliers. The grains will be sourced from Ibadan, Funtua, Kano, Kaduna, Gombe and will be conveyed — mainly by road— to IDPs (in camps and host communities) in Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Yobe, Bauchi and Gombe. A total of 1,032 trucks were involved in the first phase of the Distribution, which will be flagged off by Acting President on Thursday June 8, 2017, in Maiduguri, Borno state.

How will the consignments of grain be secured, to avoid diversion or theft as in the past?

The FG also insisted that the Nigerian Police Force and Armed Forces (Joint Task Force — Army, Navy and Air Force) will provide security and logistical support. Each convoy of 10 trucks will be accompanied by two police escorts, travelling between cities. For locations that are difficult to reach, the Nigerian Air Force will airlift the food.

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The Programme will use a voucher-based system to ensure that the food is distributed door-to-door — guaranteeing orderliness and Transparency — instead of having the beneficiaries queue in long and unwieldy lines.

According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA): “Each household beneficiary would be issued with a voucher, which will be redeemed at the receipt of the household allocation of the food basket.”

This voucher system will ensure that all the food gets to intended beneficiaries, and that all those who receive assistance are accounted for.

Watch this video as Acting President Osinbajo delivers powerful speech on the 50th anniversary of Biafra: