Dwem Reaffirms Ministry’s Support for SEMA, Humanitarian Operations

By Titus Atondu, Makurdi

The Benue State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. James Dwem, FCIB, CNA, has pledged to strengthen the existing partnership between the Ministry and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to enhance humanitarian interventions across the state.

Dwem made the commitment in Makurdi when the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Dr. James Iorpuu, led the agency’s management team on a courtesy visit to his office.

In a statement signed by the Information Officer to the Commissioner, Terlumun Mchie, the Commissioner stressed the need for effective coordination and collaboration among government institutions in addressing issues of public interest, particularly the humanitarian challenges confronting residents of Benue State.

He assured the SEMA delegation of the Ministry’s continued support, noting that stronger collaboration between both institutions would help improve interventions for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other vulnerable groups across the state.

Dwem also expressed the Ministry’s readiness to work closely with SEMA to support the successful implementation of Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration’s programmes in the humanitarian sector and other areas within the agency’s mandate.

The Commissioner thanked Iorpuu and his management team for the visit, assuring them that the Ministry would sustain the partnership and provide the necessary support to advance SEMA’s humanitarian activities.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Dr. James Iorpuu, appealed to the Commissioner to maintain the support and collaboration the agency had enjoyed from the former Bureau and now Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

Iorpuu congratulated Dwem on his deployment to head the Ministry, describing Governor Alia’s decision as “placing a square peg in a square hole,” given the Commissioner’s antecedents and experience in public service.

Giving the vote of thanks, the Covering Permanent Secretary and Director of Administration and Supply, Mr. John Sule, reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment under the new Commissioner to fulfilling its responsibilities and obligations.

Sule thanked the SEMA management team for the courtesy visit and assured the agency of the Ministry’s continued cooperation in advancing humanitarian interventions across Benue State.