UN Commits to partner Borno on resettlement of IDPs

By” Our Reporter

The United Nations under Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Martin Griffith has assured of the UN commitment to partner the Borno State Government in its resettlement and stabilization of the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in government’s relocated back to their liberated communities.

The UN Under Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Martin Griffith made the assurance when he led a delegation of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) on a courtesy call on Governor Babagana Zulum at the Government House, Maiduguri yesterday.

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“We are here to reassure you that we will continue to partner together with a view to make lives meaningful to the returnee IDPs and other victims of Insurgency across the state”. Griffith said.

The UN undersecretary General, said the atrocities posed by insurgents in the last 12 years has inflicted trauma and untold hardship on the livelihood of innocent victims, in which the state Government alone cannot address.

He stated that they were in Borno to have a firsthand situation on the crisis and by extension the resettlement and rehabilitation of IDPs as well as those victims who are still living in camps, with a view to enhance their lives and give them hope.

” A delegation from UN OOCHA Nigeria and Network we are in Bama and had the opportunity to talk to many people both government, IDPs in the camp and the military authority, all these people I spoke to confirmed to me that the strategic importance if our support and partnership not for today or tomorrow “, he added.

Mr Griffith said “your Excellency, we are here in Borno to acknowledge the good efforts your government and the security agencies are doing and interface with IDPs as well as the citizenry who are directly or indirectly victims of Non State Actors. We have visited some places including Bama Local Government Area and assessed the situation on ground as it relates to returnee IDPs and the host communities.”

“Based on what we saw and our interaction with IDPs, we want to reiterate our commitment to support your Government towards resettlement and stabilization of millions of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, mostly who have relocated back to their liberated communities” he further stated.

Responding, the Borno state Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum commended the UN delegation for the visit, and found time to visit Bama for firsthand information.

He said there is need for collective efforts to nip in the bud problem of Boko Haram and youth’s festiveness, by addressing the root cause of the insurgency through infrastructural deficit, poverty and inaccessibility to western education in the state and the north east sub region.

Governor Zulum further explained that, the ongoing closure of IDP camps within Maiduguri and relocation back to their ancestral homes by the present administration was a difficult decision, but a collective interest and willingness of all IDPs and stakeholders to fend for themselves, as continuous dependence on aids is no longer sustainable in a long run.

“On behalf of the Government and the good people of Borno state, I want to commend the UN and all humanitarian partners for identifying with us over our trying moment. i want to specifically thank you and your delegation for finding time to visit Borno and Bama for a firsthand information”, he addled.

“The ongoing closure of resettlement camps and relocation of IDPs from Maiduguri back to their ancestral homes by the present administration was a difficult decision, but a good omen, collective interest and willingness of all IDPs and stakeholders to fend for themselves, as continuous dependence on aids by our resilient IDPs is no longer sustainable in a long run.” Zulum further stated.