Benue govt officials Frustrating my efforts to provide shelters for Benue IDPs

An American missionary, Alex Barbir, has accused government officials in Benue State of frustrating efforts to provide shelters and rebuild livelihoods for internally displaced persons (IDPs), alleging that corruption and inflated contracts are worsening the humanitarian crisis in affected communities.

Barbir, founder of the faith-based non-profit organisation Building Zion, made the claims following his intervention in Yelwata, a community severely impacted by insecurity and displacement.

According to him, his initial mission to rebuild destroyed infrastructure and provide shelter for displaced families was met with resistance from government agencies responsible for humanitarian response.

“When I arrived in Yelwata, I approached the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the Benue State Emergency Management Agency with a proposal to rebuild the local market,” Barbir said. “Instead of supporting it, they rejected the idea and later came back with a N300 million proposal for the same project. That market can be rebuilt for between N50 million and N60 million.”

Barbir said similar obstacles emerged in attempts to provide housing for displaced persons, citing a state government proposal of N1 billion to construct just 66 houses on the outskirts of the community.

“With N1 billion, I can build thousands of homes,” he said. “What is happening here is not a lack of resources, but a system that sustains poverty rather than solving it.”

IDPs trapped between insecurity and bureaucracy

Yelwata, like many communities across Benue State, has suffered repeated attacks linked to farmer-herder violence and broader insecurity in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. The violence has displaced thousands, forcing families to depend largely on government relief and humanitarian assistance.

Barbir said while the level of need in the community was obvious, the response mechanisms appeared disconnected from the realities on the ground.

“These people don’t just need food aid; they need permanent shelters and functional markets to restore dignity and economic life,” he said.

He argued that delays, inflated costs and bureaucratic bottlenecks have prolonged displacement, leaving families stranded in temporary camps long after emergency funds are announced.

Corruption allegations reignite debate

Barbir’s comments gained national attention after a video of his remarks went viral on social media, sparking renewed debate over transparency in the management of humanitarian and reconstruction funds.

Although allegations of inflated contracts and diversion of public funds are not new in Nigeria, observers note that Barbir’s status as a foreign missionary has amplified the conversation, drawing wider scrutiny to Benue’s humanitarian response.

Civil society groups have long warned that emergency and reconstruction budgets are particularly vulnerable to abuse, especially in conflict-affected regions where oversight is weak and urgency limits accountability.

Beyond insecurity: a governance challenge

For residents of Yelwata and similar communities, the crisis extends beyond violence. Farms, markets and homes have been destroyed, and delays in rebuilding have deepened dependency and frustration.

Barbir insists that insecurity alone does not explain the prolonged suffering.

“What I see here is not lack of resources but the diversion of funds,” he said. “If shelters are built quickly and honestly, people can return to normal life.”

While no official response has been issued to Barbir’s specific claims, his remarks have once again raised questions about whether Nigeria’s humanitarian crises are driven more by scarcity or by governance failures.

For displaced families in Benue, the answer could determine whether they return to stable homes—or remain indefinitely in camps, waiting for promises to materialise.