Nigeria’s National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) has reported that more than 6.1 million Nigerians have been displaced by insecurity and natural disasters.
Mr Tijjani Aliyu, NCFRMI Federal Commissioner, said on Friday when he visited Governor Dikko Radda of embattled North West Katsina State.
According to him, as at 2022, the commission had about 3 million displaced persons, “but with floods and other natural disasters, additional 100 percent of such displaced people had been added.
“Today, I can authoritatively say that we have not less than 6.1 million Nigerians displaced out of their homes.
“What do we do if all of them cannot go back, how do we fend for them? Can the government continue to fend them, providing them succour?
“Absolutely not possible, we have to find a way to teach these individuals trades, give them skills, so that at the end of the day, they can be on their own,” he said.
Aliyu said it was the commission’s intention to construct three well-furnished skills acquisition centres across Northeast, from 2024/2025 budget.
He said the essence of the visit was to distribute food items to about 700 displaced people in the state.
“Before today, the commission had been putting its efforts to ensure that these people were not left in an undignified. Their children have received educational training fund from us.
“About 120 of them were trained, and also about 70 of their mothers were given some small starter packs to improve their living standard,” he said.
Aliyu said, in addition to that, the commission identified problem of water in the camps of Internally Displace Persons (IDPs) but immediately intervened by providing a solar powered borehole.
The NCFRMI boss said the commission also intended to enrol the IDPs on health insurance scheme to take care of their health challenges.
Governor Radda commended the commission’s gesture, describing it as a collective responsibility of both the state and the federal government to ensure the welfare and wellbeing of the IDPs.
He said the state had recently witnessed a lot of security challenges, especially in eight frontline local government councils of the state.
The governor lamented that the worst affected areas were the food basket of the state, adding that most of the communities were displaced.
Radda, however, noted with satisfaction that with the inauguration of Katsina Security Watch Corps (SWC), security situation had improved.
While pleading for more collaboration with neighbouring states, the governor expressed optimism that with the recent deployment of additional security operatives by the federal government, criminals would not be given a breathing space.