The Nation Newspaper

Tag: IDPs

  • Adamawa govt. relocates 350 IDPs from Mubi

    Adamawa govt. relocates 350 IDPs from Mubi

    The Adamawa Government says it has relocated no fewer than 350 Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs) made up of mostly women and children.

    The IDPs were relocated from the transit camp in Mubi to the designated camp in Malkohi, Yola South Local Government Area of the state.

    Mr. Haruna Furo, the Executive Chairman of Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA), made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) in Yola on Saturday.

    Furo said that the move was to ensure adequate welfare of the IDPs and easy coordination of operations.

    The relocation, he said, would also enable the state government to re-open the Mubi Burnt Brick Factory initially used as transit camp.

    ” We relocated about 350 Internally Displaced Persons, mostly women and children, from the Mubi transit camp to Malkohi camp in Yola South Local Government Area.

    ” The development is to bring together all IDPs in the state under designated and secured camps, ” Furo said.

    He said that all the IDPs arrived safely and were camped successfully.

  • Shettima attends Eid at liberated community

    Shettima attends Eid at liberated community

    … Prays with IDP’s who returned to Konduga

     

    Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima on Monday abandoned the massive Ramat Square Eid Praying ground in Maiduguri metropolis for Konduga, one of the liberated communities in the state to attend the Eid prayers.

    Kashim was accompanied to Konduga  by the  Director-General, National Orientation Agency, Dr Garba Abari, Senator Baba Kaka Bashir Garbai representing Borno Central, Senator Abubakar Kyari, representing Borno North, the Speaker, Borno Assembly, security chiefs in the state , State Assembly members, Commissioners and other officials for the Eid prayers.

    Konduga town, which is a few minutes’ drive to Maiduguri is one community that was under the control of the Boko Haram insurgents since 2014 despites its proximity to Maiduguri. Hundreds of IDPs have returned back to Konduga barely two weeks ago.

    The two raka’ats (Eid prayer) was led by the Imam Eidaini of Konduga, Imam Goni Lawan who later, symbolically slaughtered his Ram in the presence of Governor Shettima to pave way for other worshipers to slaughter theirs.

    Speaking after the prayers, Shettima disclosed that his spirit is with all the liberated communities regardless of the choice of attending the Eid prayers in Konduga.

    His words; “Konduga is not more important to us than Askira Uba where two Emirs have returned, it is not more important to us than Gwoza which is bigger and more populated, Konduga is also not more important to us than Monguno,  Kukawa, Damboa, Ngala, Dikwa or any other part of the State where our citizens have returned, we chose Konduga because of proximity to Maiduguri given the fact that some of those working with me need to go back and slaughter their rams which are mostly in Maiduguri and they also need time with their families while we have other activities scheduled at the Government House in Maiduguri.

    “So, Konduga is a mere symbol in this instance which represents all the communities where our people have returned. We are here in solidarity with them, to celebrate the Sallah with them, to strengthen the fact that they are no less important than those who were not affected by the insurgency, to reaffirm our commitment to resettlement of IDPS. We came to share this moment with them and to also reassure them that we wouldn’t have allowed them to return to Konduga if it was classified unsafe, this is why we are here with them.

    “We are determined to restore the dignity of our people, to reinstall civil authority, to rebuild their schools, hospitals, markets and homes so they can return to safe homes and I want to reiterate that we will not allow our citizens to return to unsafe communities. The good thing about peace is that peace doesn’t require stating or propaganda, peace manifests, it shows itself where it evolves and people respond to it by going to peaceful places. There are some of our IDPS that we didn’t even know when they started returning to their communities months ago. Through their local information gathering mechanism they got to know that peace had returned to their communities and they responded by going back in groups.

    “No matter how you try to make someone return to any community, they will naturally not respond without independently confirming whether there is peace or not. We will continue to dedicate ourselves to supporting our security establishments, the civilian JTF and hunters to sustain the peace we have but while we do that, we will insha Allah pick up the pieces of our lives,” Shettima said.

    He charged the people to take advantage of the peace and wake up change their lives, while wishing them happy Sallah and the entire country.

    “We will not wait till eternity before picking up the pieces of our lives. I want to use this opportunity to wish the people of Borno State and all Nigerians Barka da Sallah and urge all of us to rededicate ourselves to good deeds, increased faith and selfless sacrifice ‎which are the three key messages of the Eid Adha.

    “I urge the people of Borno State to reach out to poor neighbours. Part of the essence of slaughtering rams is to share the meat with the needy, with those who couldn’t afford to make the sacrifice and not for us to slaughter rams and share with rich neighbors or to share rams and store in refrigerators to take care of our menus for months to come, the meat is meant to be shared with the needy. We should always remember the downtrodden at every step of the way. Borno is known for hospitality and that hospitality should be demonstrated through good neighborliness and peaceful coexistence. Those embarking on celebrations should not contemplate breaking our laws; they should be orderly and peaceful. Once again, I wish all of us Barka da Sallah,” the Governor said.

    Report across the state indicates that the celebration was hitch free.

    The Borno State Commissioner of Police Demain Chukwu told our correspondent that all his Area Commands across the state have reported no breach of peace.

    My Area Commands have reported no incident of any terror attack before, during or after the prayers. We thank God for the peace that is returning to the state and we pray for its sustenance,” CP Chukwu said.

  • After Boko Haram, Nigerians return to devastated homes – UN

    Hundreds of Nigerians who fled Boko Haram in Borno State have returned to devastated towns and villages in recent days after the army seized back the militant group’s last remaining strongholds, said the United Nations.

    Families will return to find their homes and farmland destroyed, basic services wiped out and will live under the persistent threat of attacks by the jihadist group, Leo Dobbs, spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

    “Many of the areas they are going back to have been completely devastated,” said Dobbs.

    Homes and healthcare, agriculture, and security services are in ruin after around two years of Boko Haram rule, he added.

    Despite the Nigerian army’s success in driving Boko Haram out of occupied territory that 18 months ago was the size of Belgium, the militants still manage to stage regular suicide bombings in Nigeria and neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon, Reuters reported.

    Since 2009, more than 15,000 people have been killed, 2.3 million displaced and the local economy decimated.

  • Navy, corps member take medical rhapsody to Bayelsa community, IDPs

    Gwegwe community and the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camping at the Samson Siasia Stadium, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, were recently given a reason to smile.

    The Central Naval Command (CNC) of the Nigerian Navy and a corps member, Dr. IniAbasi Bassey, who discharges her primary assignment at the Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Delta Safe (ODS), visited them at separate occasions with lots of care and love.

    While the Navy headed for Gwegwe, the corps member went to the IDP’s camp. In fact the residents of Gwegwe in Ovom, Yenagoa, were surprised at the medical mission of the navy.

    The Flag Officer Commanding CNC, Rear Admiral Mohammed Garba, personally led the medical mission to the community. To show the importance he attached to the health of his host, Garba brought most of the senior officers in his command including the Chief of Staff of the command, Rear Admiral Akinjide Akinrinade to the community.

    Residents felt honoured by the presence of Garba, whose achievements within a short period he took over the command in an era of militancy, resounded in their ears. The navy brought cartons of drugs and mobilised qualified doctors to the community to identify and treat common sicknesses.

    The Paramount Ruler of Ovom, HRH Mathias Obele was excited at the gesture of the navy. He immediately sent words round Gwegwe community asking the residents to turn out en masse to benefit from military generosity. Obele also invited members of his council of Chiefs to receive Garba and his team.

    Within a short time, Garba arrived and headed straight for the humble palace of the Ijaw king. The Chiefs and their king were happy to behold Obele identifying with them. The Naval boss told them that the programme was borne out of the desire of the military to tackle health problems plaguing its host communities.

    He said the CNC has been visiting communities within its Area of Responsibility (AoR) for medical missions. He named some of the communities that had benefited from the gesture and said the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) was in support of the programme.

    He said through the programme, the navy gets closer to and establishes links with the people for effective resolution of common security problems. He said the programme was part of strategic directive to work with local communities and stakeholders to achieve government’s collective mandate.

    Garba had another message for them. He said: “Nigeria belongs to Nigerians. We are part and parcel of the society. We are all Nigerians and Nigeria belongs to Nigerians. We must make sure we protect this country.

    “This is one of the ways to reduce tension by reaching out to people. It is easy to solve problem when you reach out to people.”

    Garba later told residents who gathered to benefit from the medical outreach that the military especially the Navy cared for the people of the region. He appealed to them not to view every naval personnel as hostile and bloodthirsty describing the Navy as caring and humane.

    Indeed, the Ijaw king and his council of chiefs were elated. Obele, playing the Oliver Twist, also asked the navy to consider employing some of the indigenes of Ovom. He reminded the navy that one of their bases, NNS SOROH, is located within the community.

    For the IDPs, the intervention of the youth corps member, Dr. Bassey was a big relief. Their condition was pathetic as they suffered various ailments without money to buy required drugs. The IDPs were mostly victims of the violence that marred the last governorship election in the state.

    So, when they saw Bassey with cartons of drugs and mosquito nets, they leaped up in joy. They sang, danced and described the young lady as God-sent. Bassey said she was moved by pity after she visited the camp and saw the terrible living condition of the IDPs.

    She said: “When I was told there are IDPs here, I went to visit them. The children were malnourished and the general standard of living there was very poor. So, I was moved to help them by doing something about their health because health is wealth.”

    “It is my personal community development service. I donated some drugs and relief items to them. You can see that the people came out in their numbers and we had a health talk.

    “I donated drugs for malaria treatment because of the pandemic nature of malaria. I gave them analgesic, antibiotics and supplements. In fact, I have given them lots of drugs. I gave them over 100 mosquito-treated nets”.

    The corps member, who hails from Akwa Ibom State said she solicited funds from people to undertake the project. She said with more assistance she would do more to help in solving some problems in the state.

    Bassey said she was already working on another community development service following some pressing needs she identified in one of the community schools in Yenagoa.

    In fact, most of the IDPs thanked the corps member for her intervention describing her as a problem solver.

     

     

  • Yobe seeks more support for IDPs

    Yobe State government on Wednesday said it will continue to seek assistance of donor agencies and international organisations for the resettlement and rehabilitation of the displaced people in the state.

    The government is also canvassing  support for reconstruction of communities destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents.

    The state Deputy Governor, Engr. Abubakar Aliyu, who stated these while receiving the Director of Emergency, World Food Program, Mrs. Dennis Brown and some UNICEF officials in Damaturu on Wednesday, said the state is in dire need of food, health and nutritional interventions for the displaced people.

    He said the state government is appreciative of the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) support for displaced persons in the state.

    Aliyu added that the government through the resettlement committee, which he headed, has assisted over 300,000 displaced people with food, water, healthcare and other interventions to ameliorate their problems.

     

  • IDPs return home to Konduga two years after

    IDPs return home to Konduga two years after

    Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Konduga Local Government of Borno State have returned home after about three years of residing in refugee camps in Maiduguri.

    Governor Kashim Shettima urged them to be law abiding while at home. He added that the action was aimed at allowing the IDPs celebrate Sallah in their homes.

    “We thank God for today because it is significant in our efforts to return people back to their liberated communities.

    “Government has set aside 25 hectares of land to allow the people engage in meaningful ventures. We will assist those wishing to engage in agriculture in terms of improved seedlings and other things,” he promised.

    Last week, the state government announced its intention to relocate IDPs from Konduga, Mafa and Dikwa councils back home following the return of peace to the areas.

  • Malnutrition: Senators wives donate to IDPs

    The Senators’ Wives Forum (SWF) has donated foodstuffs and body-care products for infants and children in the various Internally Displaced Persons camps in some parts of the country.

    The forum, represented by Hajia Hadiza Ali Wakili and Mrs. Louis Gyunka from Bauchi South and Nasarawa North Senatorial Districts respectively, and the executive coordinator of the forum, Ms. Inimfon Etuk, made the donation during the launch of the “Get Involved” component of the Future Assured Initiative, organised by the wife of the president, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, in Abuja.

    The ‘Get Involved’ campaign was meant to rally contributions from Nigerians to address heightened incidences of malnutrition in IDPs camps.

    In her remarks, leader of the delegation, Hajia Hadiza Wakili, who spoke on behalf of the forum’s chair and wife of the Senate President, Mrs Toyin Saraki, said: “We are moved by the rising and alarming reports of hunger, starvation and malnutrition of our displaced citizens, especially young infants and children, and hope our contribution will go some way to alleviate the heavy public burden of care for our sisters, brothers and children in these displaced communities, as canvassed by the wife of the president, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Her Excellency, Mrs Aisha Buhari.”

    The Senators’ Wives Forum – established in 1999 – is a friendly society sustained by individual contributions from its members. It comprises spouses of senators in Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber and is currently chaired by Mrs. Toyin Saraki, wife of the president of the Senate.

  • IDPs: UN rapporteur calls for urgent action to protect refugees

    After a four-day visit to Nigeria, the United Nations expert on internally displaced persons (IDPs) has said that there is an urgent need for the West African country to take action to protect the hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the Northeast.

    “The situation must no longer be downplayed and it is not too late to save many lives,” said Chaloka Beyani, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of IDPs. “The government must act urgently to ensure that food, shelter, medical care, water, sanitation and other essential services reach IDPs without delay.”

    Beyani appeared to be especially disturbed by the lack of international attention on the severity of the situation in Northeast Nigeria, and he urged donors to fulfill their promises and commit to long-term support of the IDPs. “Due to a gross underestimation of the crisis, the existing supplies will only cover needs for a very short period of time and will be soon outstripped by demands,” Beyani said.

    The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) believes at least 2.2 million people are trapped in areas that are under Boko Haram’s control. This is in addition to more than 2.6 million people currently displaced in the Lake Chad region due to Boko Haram’s menace.

    The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that the situation resulting from the Boko Haram violence could lead to crisis of the highest order. OHCHR reported that victims suffer from advanced malnutrition and deep trauma. Meanwhile, access to humanitarians is limited due to security concerns.

    According to Beyani, so many IDPs live outside camps, with little or no assistance. Many of them are forced to endure different kinds of abuse.

  • IDPs: UN rapporteur calls for urgent action to protect refugees

    IDPs: UN rapporteur calls for urgent action to protect refugees

    After a four-day visit to Nigeria, the United Nations expert on internally displaced persons (IDPs) has said that there is an urgent need for the West African country to take action to protect the hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the Northeast.

    “The situation must no longer be downplayed and it is not too late to save many lives,” said Chaloka Beyani, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of IDPs. “The government must act urgently to ensure that food, shelter, medical care, water, sanitation and other essential services reach IDPs without delay.”

    Beyani appeared to be especially disturbed by the lack of international attention on the severity of the situation in Northeast Nigeria, and he urged donors to fulfill their promises and commit to long-term support of the IDPs. “Due to a gross underestimation of the crisis, the existing supplies will only cover needs for a very short period of time and will be soon outstripped by demands,” Beyani said.

    The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) believes at least 2.2 million people are trapped in areas that are under Boko Haram’s control. This is in addition to more than 2.6 million people currently displaced in the Lake Chad region due to Boko Haram’s menace.

    The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that the situation resulting from the Boko Haram violence could lead to crisis of the highest order. OHCHR reported that victims suffer from advanced malnutrition and deep trauma. Meanwhile, access to humanitarians is limited due to security concerns.

    According to Beyani, so many IDPs live outside camps, with little or no assistance. Many of them are forced to endure different kinds of abuse.

  • NAS helps Abuja IDPs

    The National Association of Seadogs has started distributing  medical and relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in New Kuchingoro and Waru IDP camps in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The initiative, according to Vice President of the Association, Uzor Ziko, aligns with the NAS key objective of positively impacting the communities we operate and is aimed at ameliorating the pains and suffering of families affected by insecurity and violence in the North East.

    He said, “We have identified and are concerned about these communities of displaced people who find their limited resources quickly depleted and are unable to cater for their basic needs, hence the need for the intervention.

    She further asserted that the association have a borehole project they are working on that will go round different part of the IDP Camps across the nation.

    “This is the fourth IDP camp we are visiting and our intervention initiative will continue to focus on working together with the government, other humanitarian stakeholders and donors to deliver basic assistance and support to displaced people and IDP populations.”

    Also, Director of Media, John Oke explained that the government can’t do everything alone as its needs the assistance from other stakeholder’s ýin impacting in the community.

    He further explained that Seadogs is like an old sailor and they are acting like an old sailor.

    The Medical consultant of NAS, Dr Oteri Joseph, said “this is something we do every quarter of the year in different communities. We have gone to Oyo, Bayelsa State among others.

    One of the recipient of the relief materials Aisha Garba lauded the association’s good gesture saying, “God will bless the National Association of Seadogs (NAS) . The number of lives they touched today is unbelievable, not to talk of other camps, which are 10 times bigger than the camps here,” she said.

    Another of the recipients Musa Bako, also lauded the NAS’s philanthropic gesture and appealed to other prominent Nigerians to emulate the good deeds.

    Dangote Foundation recently provided succour to the victims of Nepal’s disastrous earthquake by donating $1 million to the government and people of that country. The amount was in line with its mandate to provide relief in times of disaster, with a message that the Chairman of the Foundation, Aliko Dangote, and the people of Nigeria shared in that country’s moment of grief.

    The Dangote Foundation has been touching lives both within and outside the shores of Nigeria since its establishment in 1993, providing opportunities for social and economic transformation through investments and interventions that improve and promote health, education and broaden economic empowerment opportunities.

    Aliko Dangote endowed the Foundation with $1.35 billion in March 2014 to ensure that the Foundation had secure and steady funding to carry out its mission and significantly scales up its work both within and outside the shores of the country.