By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu has disclosed that the Federal Government’s commitment to return displaced people and refugees back to their communities and homes by 2024.
Edu made this his known during her first official visit to Governor of Maiduguri Prof. Babagana Zulum at the State House in Maiduguri, the Borno State Capital.
The minister who was overwhelmed by the grand reception in Borno promised that under her leadership the ministry would eliminate poverty and also provide safety nets to prevent Nigerians from slipping under the poverty line.
She emphasized that structures must be put in place to repatriate and reintegrate the internally displaced people back into their communities.
Edu explained that Borno State was her first place of visit as a minister because the state is importance and strategic to achieving results on humanitarian response and ending poverty in the country, adding that
Bornu a stabilizing state in the North East and Nigeria.
Dr. Edu reiterated President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s commitment to minimizing Humanitarian crisis and eliminating poverty in Nigeria in fulfillment of the renewed hope Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2.
“it is important that the Humanitarian Ministry renew its partnership with the State and leverage on their successes and experience to find better ways of doing things.”
“The Ministry shall establish humanitarian hubs in all Local Government Areas as a deliberate policy of targeting the grassroots, the rural poor that are more in large numbers in communities and villages.”
“The Ministry shall deliberately create job opportunities for youth on a short- and long-term basis, giving microcredits, vocational training among others.”
The Borno State Governor Zulum congratulated Dr. Edu on her appointment and assured her of his government’s commitment towards addressing the humanitarian issues and poverty.
Zulum listed areas of collaboration with the humanitarian as poverty causing insecurity, durable provisions for internally displaced persons,IDPs, adding that challenges at the IDP camps are population growth and gender-based violence.
The governor promised to created SME opportunities for displaced people.
Governor Zulum who decried the Refugees situation, saying over 200,000 refugees in Niger, 60,000 in Cameroon and 24,000 in Chad, promised that the State would work with the Ministry to bring the
refugees back home and give them shelters, money, and job opportunities.
