Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to assist the state in its efforts to resettle internally displaced persons.
According to the governor’s Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr Makut Macham, Lalong made the call when he visited the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Faruk at the Ministry’s Headquarters in Abuja.
During the meeting, Lalong sought the support of the ministry in the rehabilitation and reintegration of Internally Displaced Persons in Plateau State, who are being returned to their ancestral homes.
He said since the symbolic closure of all IDP camps in the state, the state government has been doing a lot to enable them rebuild their homes and start life again.
Lalong said, “We are committed to ensuring that the peace we have restored to Plateau is consolidated. Peace cannot be fully consolidated without taking care of those that were displaced and disoriented. We want to see that they are comfortable in their original abodes and have means of livelihood so that they can forget the trauma of the past as they heal.”
The governor further said that the state government cannot bear the huge financial cost of resettling the returnee IDPs, hence the appeal for the assistance of the federal government through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
He explained that the state has benefitted from the Social Investment Programmes of the federal government and is also doing its best to provide empowerment opportunities for the youths in the state through the Plateau Small and Medium Enterprises Agency. This, he said, has contributed immensely to the restoration of peace as many youths are now engaged with less tendency for crimes.
On her part, the Minister thanked the governor for making her ministry the first port of call after his election victory, one she said testified to his passion for the less privileged and vulnerable persons in the society who need special attention.
“I am not surprised that Plateau State now enjoys peace because you are a man of peace and have always advocated harmonious living. You are my big brother and I will do everything possible to support you. Already, we have received your request which the Permanent Secretary is working on. Very soon, the team will come to Plateau State to ensure that we are on the same page,” the minister was quoted to have said.
