The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) has restated commitment to resettling Persons of Concern (POC) in the country to their ancestral homes.
This was disclosed by Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, NCFRMI Federal Commissioner on Monday in Abuja.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim stated this in her speech at an event to celebrate the New Year at the IDP Camp in Kunchigoro area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to her, the party was an annual ritual for the commission to spend quality time with the children, during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
“This demonstrates how willing and ready we are to work closely with our POC and their host communities in addressing critical issues.
“On the POC going back to their ancestral home, it is already happening, it is an ongoing process. We are going to intensify efforts in 2022 to be more coordinated.
“We are working with Ministries, Departments and Agencies, and the whole of society to ensure that we are covering more grounds and working quick and faster to enable them to go back home.
“We have always offered assistance and protection to POC. If you look at our precedence, you will notice that we have inaugurated projects. In the next few weeks, we are going to inaugurate ‘Project Skill UP.
“On the project, we will be working on their skills to ensure that they use it to key into national development,” Sulaiman-Ibrahim said.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim explained that the commission’s plans for settlement centres in collaborations with state governments and other relevant stakeholders had educational facilities to encourage reading.
“We are also going to inaugurate ‘Project Library’ to encourage reading. This is because leaders are readers.
“So, we are coming from every angle. We are working with the whole of society and we have willing partners and collaborators to ensure we do more for POC in the country,” Sulaiman-Ibrahim said.
Similarly, Alhaji Ali Grema, Director of Humanitarian in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, commended the commission for organising the New Year celebration party with IDPs.
Grema, who represented the Minister, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, said the ministry was impressed by what Sulaiman-Ibrahim was doing about the POC.
According to her, this is in line with what the ministry is doing and also what President Muhammadu Buhari is encouraging in regards to IDPs in Nigeria.
“With this, the ministry will always support the commissioner to support IDPs in the quest for them to return to their ancestral homes with dignity.
“On education, the ministry is set to start the Alternate School Programme which will carry along every citizen of school age in Nigeria. The IDPs are also included in the programme.
“This year, some of them will return to their ancestral homes, especially those from Borno.
“There are houses being built for them. Before the end of this year, some will go back to their ancestral homes,” Farouq stressed.
Meanwhile, Mr Philemon Emmanuel, Chairman, Kunchingoro IDP Camp appreciated Sulaiman-Ibrahim, urging her to follow the path of Farouq when she was the Federal Commissioner.
“However, we will like you to have a meeting with the leadership of all the IDP Camps. This will give us the opportunity to involve in a robust discussion that will be beneficial to the commission and IDPs,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that high points of the event were cutting of the New Year Cake, dancing competitions, games, and fashion parade by the children in the camp.
Also, the commission distributed T-Shirts, caps, cooked foods, and uncooked foodstuffs like noodles, yams, oil, rice, and many others to the IDPs in the camp.