The Federal Commissioner for Refugees Commission, Hon. Moshood G. Muhammad has said 350 thousand internally displaced persons are currently undergoing accreditation that will see them resettled out of IDP camps.
Moshood made the disclosure yesterday when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Special Duties to give the commission’s performance report on the 2020 fiscal year.
He noted that the commission has designed three strategies to facilitate the resettlement of internally displaced persons.
Moshood also disclosed that approval has been given for land allocation by some state governors to build city settlements across states where internally displaced persons are camped.
He explained that the commission saw the compelling need to give back the IDPs their dignities and so, it has designed three initiatives to build standard resettlement centres for them.
“We have designed a city that will comprise 600,000 units of two bedroom which will have other facilities like learning centres, worship centres, markets, skill acquisition centres and police posts.
“Our idea is to give these persons of concern back their dignities, said Moshood, who also disclosed that the commission was already in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria to generate intervention funds to restore the livelihood of displaced persons after they are relocated.
The CBN, according to him, “will give them starter pack which will represent 70% grants and the other 30% is to be credited into their accounts.
He explained that the commission, having realised that there are out of school children in the camp, age 4, 5 and 6 and also noticed that there are young men age 15 and above who have been in the camp since the age of 5 or 6, a budget size was designed to accommodate the cost for their education.
He said unfortunately due to limited funding, the commission could be over stretched and may not be able to meet this need.
