Humanitarian crisis in Nigeria

Nigeria (MNN) — Lawmakers in Nigeria are seething, following the most recent attacks by Boko Haram. Those attacks killed 29 innocent school children.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, told reporters, “We have run out of excuses. We no longer have any excuse for our inability to protect our innocent, defenseless children from gratuitous violence.”

“Whatever grievances the terrorists harbour against the government of Nigeria, Nigeria’s innocent children have nothing to do with it,” Tambuwal said. “It is therefore an act of cowardice worthy of ringing condemnation to target the children, to strike at those who are not only innocent but are also unable to strike back or defend themselves.”

Boko Haram attacks have devastated villages, leaving many homeless. Since 2009, thousands have been killed. It’s created a humanitarian crisis in Nigeria that few news outlets are talking about.

Executive Director of World Mission Greg Kelley says, “People have literally lost everything. Their homes have been burnt. Many of them have lost family members who have been killed or kidnapped. They’ve lost all of their worldly possessions. There are over 100,000 people in just one [refugee] camp in northeast Nigeria.”

Helping them is a priority for World Mission. “We’re trying to get some rice in there. We’re trying to get blankets in there. We’re trying to get milk in there. We have people on the ground who will be delivering those supplies next week.”

Some of these refugees are village authorities who are predominately Muslim, and although they are a minority in the camps, they receive preferential treatment, says Kelley. This means that the limited resources which the camp receives go “to the minority who are Muslim, and the Christians aren’t getting anything.”

How can you help? Kelley says, “A 200-pound bag of rice costs about $100. A blanket is about $10. So, for about $500, that would take care of 200 people for a week.”

For Christians, World Mission is also providing solar-powered audio Bibles they call The Treasure. Christians “have lost every possession that they have in this world, including their Bibles. The majority of the people up in this area of Nigeria are oral learners, so the solar-powered Treasure allows them to engage in God’s Word.”

God’s Word gives power, says Kelley. “When The Treasure gets in the hand of even a nominal Christian, it mobilizes them, and they immediately become a missionary.”

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