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Tag: resettlement

  • Ita-Giwa urges resettlement of Bakassi indigenes

    Ita-Giwa urges resettlement of Bakassi indigenes

    Bakassi leader in Cross River State, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, has described as unfortunate reports of maltreatment of Bakassi indigenes in the ceded peninsula in Cameroon, saying it is a wake up call for the urgent and proper resettlement of displaced persons in Dayspring.

    The former presidential adviser stressed that “all the Bakassi people need to do is to be united in our demand for where our people should come and be resettled.”

    Speaking with The Nation in Calabar yesterday, Ita-Giwa said it was regrettable that the Green Tree Agreement, a treaty by the Nigerian and Cameroonian governments, had not been adhered to.

    Last week hundreds of Bakassi indigenes who still lived in the ceded Bakassi landed Ikang jetty in Cross River alleged that almost 100 of them had been killed by gendarmes following incessant harassment by Cameroonian authorities.

    Ita-Giwa said: “That is very unfortunate. For years I have been saying that that the Green Tree Agreement has not been adhered to and in fact that for many years we have been crying that if Nigeria had developed Dayspring then these people would not have waited there long enough to be maltreated by the Cameroon government. They all would have come back. We are just saying they should just develop that land for the people because it is convenient for their way of life, which is fishing.”

     

  • Lagos appeals verdict on resettlement of Otodo Gbame community

    The Lagos State Government has faulted a Lagos High Court verdict which declared illegal, the demolition of Otodo Gbame Community and some other riverine settlements around Lekki.

    In a Notice of Appeal filed at the Appeal Court, in Lagos, the government said Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo’s June 21 judgement was capable of encouraging illegality.

    The judgement, it noted, visited the constitution.

    The government claimed that the high court erred in law and misdirected itself when it made far-reaching decisions that conflicted with the facts of the matter placed before it.

    Under the first ground of appeal, the government said Justice Onigbanjo erred when he held that the demolition was illegal when there was no demolition in Otodo Gbame before the case was filed.

    According to the government, there was a fire in Otodo Gbame caused by violent clash between two rival cult groups. The fire destroyed the community with no residents and property remaining because the burnt shanties were built with corrugated iron sheets, woods and bamboos.

    It said Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who visited the community after the incident stopped the reconstruction of the shanties and directed all those living on the riverine areas to leave for security reasons.

    The riverine areas, the government said, were known to harbour illegal bunkers, kidnappers and robbers.

    The governor’s directive, the appellant said, according to government, was pursuant to Chapter 2, Section 14 (2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

    The appellant accused the residents of visiting the governor’s directive which led to the demolition of Otodo Gbame and other communities when the case was referred to mediation by Justice Onigbanjo.

    The appellant claimed: “The declaration of the lower court that the demolition of March 17, 2017 is illegal and unconstitutional is misplaced and one-sided without considering the violation of the same order of court by the respondents. The demolition was to return both parties to status quo.”

    Under in ground two, the appellant said the high court erred when it held that the government should have consulted with the communities before any further evictions, and also compensate them for the demolition of their properties. The appellant claimed that in as much as Chapter 4 of the Constitution provides for fundamental rights, some rights contained provisos that made such rights not sacrosanct and absolute.

    It said: “There are abundance of uncontroverted evidence before the lower court that the structures built along riverine/swampy areas of the state are without building permit as required under the Urban and Regional Development Planning Law.

    “The respondents have constructed shanties and illegal structures without the requisite building permit/approval and the rights under the Constitution do not permit breach of a law or exempt anybody whosoever from building without first obtaining requisite approval. The respondents are squatters and deliberately failed to put the issue of title in contention.”

  • Senate seeks N10b for resettlement of IDPs

    Senate seeks N10b for resettlement of IDPs

    The Senate Tuesday asked its Appropriation Committee to allocate N10 million in the 2016 budget for the relocation and resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States.

    The fund, the upper chamber said, should be sourced from the Service Wide Vote as provided in the budget.

    The resolution followed a motion by Senate Leader, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume and eight others entitled “interim financial and material support/ assistance to IDPs returnees in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States.”

    Apart from the fund, the Senate also asked the Federal Government to release grains from the strategic grain reserve to the insurgency affected states.

    It urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the refugee commission to make special arrangement for repatriation and resettlement of Nigerian refugees in Cameroun, Niger and Chad.

    The upper chamber asked its relevant committees to write a letter of appreciation to the embassies of the host countries where the refugees were accommodated.

    It said that the Victim Support Fund should also allocate reasonable amount from the fund for immediate relocation and resettlement of IDPs pending the short and medium term plans they might have.

    Taraba, Plateau, Benue and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, it said, should also benefit from the arrangement.

    Ndume in his lead debate noted that there was no doubt that the Federal Government is winning the war against insurgency in the north east particularly Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States.

    He said that most of the local governments, towns and villages hitherto occupied by the insurgents have been recaptured and secured by the Nigerian security forces particularly the army.

    Ndume added that he is aware that the highways leading to the local governments from the state headquarters of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States have been demined and opened for commuters.

    He noted that the IDPs who ran away from their homes during the heat of insurgency lost everything to Boko Haram insurgents.

    He said that most of the IDPs are relatively poor with no savings, source of income or gainful employment.

    The Borno South lawmaker expressed concern that for two years consecutively, the people in the affected states have not been able to farm while many people especially children are dying due to hunger and sanitation related diseases.

    He also expressed worry that IDPs that are eager to return home or are being relocated have nothing to take home and have nothing meet at home from what they left behind when they ran away.

    Ndume concluded for the IDPs to return home, “they need immediate and interim financial and material assistance in term of cash transfer and food relief to start their lives all over in the short term before the intervention from proposed North East Development Commission, Save School Initiative or any form of intervention.”

    Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, said that the Senate should commend the efforts of the security agencies “because without their efforts the idea of the IDPs going home will be impossible.

  • Boko Haram: UN tasks Nigeria on rehabilitation of IDPs

    Boko Haram: UN tasks Nigeria on rehabilitation of IDPs

    A delegation of the United Nations (UN) has warned that the nation risks future crisis if it fails to properly resettle those currently displaced activities of the terrorist group, Boko Haram.

    The UN delegation, which visited the headquarters of the National Human Rights Commission in Abuja, was led by two Special Rapporteurs of the global organisation.

    The visiting UN experts were led by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children Prostitution and Child Pornography, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio‎, and her counterpart on the Right of Everyone to the Enjoyment of the Highest Attainable Standard of Physical and Mental Health, Dainius Puras.

    They said they were in the country to assess measures‎ which the government had put in place for the rehabilitation and the reintegration of returnee Boko Haram victims in the country.

    Speaking on their mission to the country, Boer-Buquicchio, said the delegation would make appropriate recommendations to the Nigerian government after its meetings with relevant government agencies, civil society organisations and individuals at the various Internally Displaced Persons’ camps in the region ravaged by insurgency.

    “Without these measures, the future of Nigeria is at risk because this involves women and children who are future of the country and whose attitude to life as full-fledged citizens is important,” Boer-Buquicchio added.

    ‎On his part, Puras said the delegation would be assisting Nigeria in tackling the challenges of rehabilitating and reintegrating the returnee IDPS with its “expertise and knowledge” in the areas of provision of “essential healthcare” to victims of the insurgent activities.

    He said his team would also‎ assist Nigeria in ensuring that the victims were protected from violence and other crimes.

    In his welcome address, Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Bem Angwe, commended the international community for the e support rendered to Nigeria shortly after over 200 schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram in Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014.

    “The display of solidarity by the international community resulted into new efforts being put in place by the Federal Government to address insurgency i‎n the country,” Angwe said.

    Angwe, who commended the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government for its efforts towards addressing the plights of the returnee victims of Boko Haram activities, lamented the state of abandonment in many IDP camps in the North East.

    “Let me inform you that most of the returnees have no home to return to. Most of the returnees’ homes have been destroyed.

    “The present administration in Nigeria is putting in place some measures to address these concerns.

    “The Federal Government has put in place initiatives to address the problems of the IDPs.”‎

  • ‘I’ll resolve resettlement issues’

    The long-drawn-out concerns of displaced indigenous peoples of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will be sorted out if Hon. Yamawu Tanko wins the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) chairmanship election, said the aspirant.

    Tanko, running on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) pledged to resolve the resettlement issues that have bedeviled the indigenous people of the territory.

    He said the Federal Government cannot afford to pay everyone who was displaced but will have to come up with solutions that will work for both the government, natives and residents of Abuja.

    Tanko said that in other to handle the issue and put and end to demolition of houses which causes so much hardship on the people, he will work with the minister of the FCT and the FG to come up with a standard design of rural areas that will work with the master plan.

    He stated this at the FCT, APC secretariat when he appeared to declear his intention of running for the chairmanship position and also added.

    “What is paramount to me is the issue of resettlement in the FCT; it has been a lingering problem for a very long time between ministers and the natives, the non-natives in Abuja suffer from it as well and they are all part of my electorate, so it will be a question of sitting down with the minister and possibly bringing in developers that know how to create rural dwellings into urban areas and get them involved.

    “Discuss with the minister on how to develop of rural areas to forget what is called resettlement because we talk about resettlement every year, I do not believe that it is something that can be achieved, the Federal Government cannot afford the money involved in resettlement, so instead of demolishing people’s houses every year it will be better to sit down and probably have a design in this rural areas, a design of houses that people can afford to build or the government engages a developer to build the houses which they can pay by installments.

    “Mine is a familiar name in the political class of AMAC, I have served as a councillor twice in AMAC, I have been the NAPEP cordinator in the area council, held other political offices at the national level and have contested for this position twice before

    “I have a lot to offer, I want to provide roads, health services to the rural areas and build standard houses for the doctors in the rural areas.”

     

  • Sokoto Cement spends N260m on communities’ resettlement

    Sokoto Cement spends N260m on communities’ resettlement

    Over N260 million has been spent in resettling 183 families from three communities affected by the expansion embarked upon by Cement Company of Northern Nigeria (CCNN), its Managing Director, Mr. Alf Karlsen has said.

    The beneficiary communities are Dan Atu, Sabon-Gida and Gidan- Mubaga in Sokoto State. They have been resettled at Sabongari Alu in Wamakko Local Government.

    Karlsen, who spoke while handing over some of the structures to the caretaker chairman of the council, Alhaji Ahmed Kalambaina,  said the amount was the compensation paid on houses and farmlands and the acquisition of the quarry in the area.

    Represented by the Executive Director, Finance, Mr. Ibrahim Aminu, Karlsen said the company had donated 200 plots to the 186 families where they built their new homes, linked the community with electricity and provided them with potable water.

    He also said the company, locally known as Sokoto Cement, had built an Islamic and modern primary school, clinic, mosque and access roads, among others. He expressed happiness on the existing cordial relationship between the firm and its host communities.

    “CCNN appreciates this cordial relationship, which is key to our sustained successful operations and that is why we even expanded the over 50-year-old company. We will continue to diligently discharge our corporate social responsibilities to further improve the living standard of the members of our host communities,’” he said.

    Alhaji Kalambaina commended the firm for assisting the communities, and pledged to deploy competent teachers to schools and post medical staff to the clinic.

    In their separate remarks, District Heads of Gumbi and Kalambaina, Alhaji Sama’ila Mujelli and Alhaji Abubakar Ahmed appealed to the company to float a scholarship scheme for youths in the area.

  • Resettlement: Indigenes caution on omission of names

    Indigenes of Garki village in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have cautioned the authorities of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) against tampering with the original supplementary list submitted to the authority by the leaders of the community.

    The natives, who spoke through the Magajin Garki, Joel Yazegbe, after a petition was submitted to the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), alleged that they have been reliably informed that the FCDA officials are contemplating a foul play to omit some original names submitted by the leaders, with intention to replace them with names submitted by FCDA officials.

    Yazegbe said, “We write to warn the FCDA officials to desist from any act that is capable of tarnishing the image of the FCDA. We have read in recent reports of the last minutes secret allocations and racketeering business carried out by the FCDA, in conjunction with AGIS, using part of the resettlement areas to compensate the FCT minister Sen. Bala Mohammed’s friends and cronies.

    “We are aware that such areas are meant to be allocated to the indigenes whose names were not captured in the last ressetlement exercise of the Garki community. On this note, we will not accept any development whereby the areas made for supplementary list in Apo Resettlement will use for personal or selfish gains.

    “We will no longer tolerate further omissions of names or tempering the agreement reached by the early committee set up by the FCTA and headed by the minister of state Olajumoke Akinjide.  We advise that the record should be set straight and every documents concerning the issue of the Garki Resettlement should be properly handed over the incoming administration,”  he stated.

    The natives further appealed to the incoming government to carry the indigenes along in policies and decision and policies that affect them directly and the government should also revisit the idea behind the allocation of numerous estates in the FCT without human beings living inside them.

    “We want the incoming administration to ignore any document that is not properly presented by the indigenes of the FCT. If the any issue concerning the Indigenes should be presented to the incoming administration, let it be by the collective agreement of the indigenes, not some crooks using the fake associations of the original inhabitants to deceive the any government in power in the detriment of our people.

    The natives further advise the president-elect to beware of groups or persons  who uses the name of original inhabitants to deceive any government in power against the real wish and aspirations of the FCT natives.

  • Lagos to move fire victims to resettlement centre

    Lagos to move fire victims to resettlement centre

    •Fashola promises help as he visits scene

    Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola visited yesterday the Iwaya, Yaba Mainland Market fire scene, saying those displaced would be moved to the Resettlement Centre in Agbowa.

    He said the government would seek ways of assisting the victims.

    Fashola, who addressed members of the Iwaya Community, most of whom lost properties to the fire, advised market and transport associations to set up committees to ensure that inflammable items were removed after each day’s business.

    The governor implored Lagosians to be safety conscious by switching off electrical appliances before leaving their homes daily.

    While noting that government has the capacity to respond to emergencies, Fashola said fire prevention is the responsibility of all.

    “This is the dry season and with the harmattan haze, any small fire quickly gets out of hand. So all of us must be interested in our safety; we must do everything possible to avoid fires”, he said.

    “In market places, I am appealing that we should set up committees from today so that at the end of every market day, that Committee must go round the market to ensure that there is nothing that is left switched on that can cause a fire. In motor parks, in communities, in homes and offices the same thing should apply. Everybody must take responsibility”, he said.

    Noting that most of the fires at homes and business places were caused by power surges, Fashola advised all residents: “Before you leave home in the morning or the office at night, go round and make sure that everything that could cause fire is switched off.

    “Anything that you don’t need put it off. It is better that the cold water is probably not there in your refrigerator when you return than that your building has disappeared. Let’s try to be safe instead of being sorry. Let us act to prevent fires and all will be well”.

    Fashola, who thanked God that no life was lost in the incident, said  although properties could be replaced, life could not,  adding that government would help them get back on their feet.

    As a first step towards helping the victims, he said, those who lost their houses would be moved temporarily to the resettlement centre.

    “This is part of what your government has done with your taxes”, he said, adding that during their story in the camp, the victims would be fed at the state’s expense; those who need medical support would get it from the doctors there.

    According to him, government has also built teaching facilities there for displaced pupil’s who would be taught by teachers seconded to help them.

    On why the victims are being relocated, Fashola said even if his administration wants to rebuild the place overnight, it would not be possible, adding: “So putting you in that camp will help us get your accurate data, what your problems are and how we can help to get you back on your feet”.

    The victims back on their feet, the governor said the fire once more brought to the fore the importance of getting government approvals before erecting a building.

    Fashola said: “As a government, we will do all we can to get you back to your feet. But let me say that you yourselves must be careful the way you build; the way you organise yourselves in clusters. This is why we always advise that you come and take government approvals before you build anything, whether it is a temporary or a permanent structure.

    “Those approvals will help you set out the place properly, observe minimum safety rules, electrical connections, disposal of your waste water; all of these can become hazardous to your health if you do not do the right things in the way that you have built, in the way that you gather yourselves”.

    Earlier, a community leader, Chief Oladiji Oluwo, hailed the government for the prompt response of its agencies, suc as State Fire Service and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and the movement of victims to the resettlement camp.

    He told the governor: “We thank you and all the top government officials for coming to sympathise with us over the fire.  Our people have been enlightened on the relief centre at Agbowa and we thank the government immensely for the promise to help us”.

    With the governor on the scene  were the Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr. Wale Ahmed, LASEMA General Manager Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, Executive Secretary, Yaba Local Council Development Area LCDA, Mrs. Bola Olumegbon, community leaders and residents.

  • Minister to resolve resettlement issues

    Minister to resolve resettlement issues

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration is set to resolve issues arising from resettlement of villages, one of which is encroachment on the right-of-way in the f ace of road construction.

    FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, disclosed this, saying that his administration is committed to resolving such encroachment on the Right of Way that impedes on-going roads construction in such districts.

    According to a statement issued by the Asst. Director/Chief Press Secretary to the FCT Minister, Muhammad Sule, the development, the Minister said would enable the contractors handling the provision of infrastructure complete their jobs.

    He reiterated that all the stakeholders would be carried along in the process to ensure that all parties are satisfied and given a sense of belonging in line with the vision of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

    According to him, the affected districts include Guzape I and II Districts (that is, Guzape and Kuruduma villages); Idu District (Paipe village) as well as Karmo District (Karmo village).

    Mohammed stated that other affected districts include the Abuja Technology Village (Aleita, Pyakassa and Chika villages); Kagini district (Kagini, Kaba, Guida and Saburi Vilages); Jahi district (Jahi I & II, Kado Kuchia) and relocation of tipper garages.

    He revealed that at the Mbora district, the issue would also be addressed at EFAB Estate and Tzango village; while at the Maitama Extension District, the issue of Barack fence would also be resolved.

    The Minister said that the government recently achieved the reconstruction of the failed portion of old Karmo road, which is aimed at alleviating the sufferings of residents, particularly motorists along that route.

    He announced that his Administration has completed the outstanding engineering infrastructure to Gudu District Phase II, final design of Interceptor Sewer Schedule V, final engineering design of bridges for Dakwa District as well as final engineering design for Arterial Road S30, Collectors A and B and other Access Road to Phase II of Federal Capital City, Abuja.

    His words: “The FCT Administration in tune with the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan has completed the Subsoil and Geophysical Investigation of Daki-Biyu, Jahi, Duboyi Districts in the Phase II of the Federal Capital City, Abuja.

     

  • Resettlement camp coming for disaster victims

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is set to build resettlement camps in three different locations that will accommodate victims of any disaster that may occur within the territory.

    These camps that will be set up in Gwagwalada, Maitama and Kuje areas will be equipped with all the necessary facilities needed including a school and clinic, for people affected by any form of disaster that may have displaced them from their homes.

    This was disclosed by, the Director General (DG), FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Abbas Idris in an interview, where he said that the FCT is prepared to manage all emergencies and disasters within the territory in order to avert or mitigate it.

    His words: “We are now trying to put up permanent resettlement camps so that by the time, there is any form of disaster we will simply evacuate people, instead of taking them to schools like is normally done, we will take them to permanent camps which will be equipped with all facilities, like water, light, we will have a clinic there and their education will be taken care of as well so that children of those affected will not miss out on their education, that will be in next year’s budget.

    “The camps will be in three locations of Gwagwalada, Maitama and Kuje, this is an emergency contingency for disasters that can happen at any time.”

    He said that the agency which was set up about 6 months ago has some emergency equipment that it inherited from departments within the FCT administration that were carrying out such functions and who have always had equipment.

    Idris said: “such as the fire service which is fully equipped and have equipment  that can put off fire in as far as a fifth floor, some forecasting facilities, ambulances etc when such emergencies happen, these departments which are also stake holders will be there to help out.

    “What we are doing right now is the prevention of emergencies; we are getting the equipment, setting up the camps because preparation leads to prevention if possible or mitigate where we cannot prevent.

    “We believe that prevention is more cost effective so we try to spread our tentacles to the grassroots to make sure that everyone is enlightened, we are planning on having a massive educational and enlightenment program through the media, we will also engage voluntaries to educate the people in their own languages to enable them be aware of what to do in terms of disasters.”

    He confirmed that the agency collaborates with National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in all things as the national body.

    He also said that FEMA is constantly in touch with parts of the FCT that were affected by the last flooding on the river Niger during the raining season in conjunction with the development control in the FCT to ensure that people do not return to the river banks.