ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – Senate on Tuesday, directed its Committee on Appropriation to allocate the sum of N10 billion under the Service Wide Vote (SWV) for relocation and resettlement of the IDPs returnees, after expressing worry at the welfare of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
This followed a motion sponsored by the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, and eight others on interim financial and material support and assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) returnees in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.
In his submission, Ndume noted that for the IDPs to return home, they needed immediate and interim financial and material assistance in the form of cash transfer and food relief to start their lives all over in the short term pending the intervention from the proposed North-East Development Commission.
He expressed worry that the IDPs that are eager to return home or are being relocated have nothing to take home as most of them are relatively poor with no source of income.
.
Ndume further noted that many IDPs, especially children, who are dying because of hunger and sanitation-related diseases, needed to be attended to.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
Senate also urged the Victims Support Fund (VSF) to allocate reasonable amount from the fund for immediate relocation and resettlement of the IDPs pending the short and medium term plans they might have.
The Red Chamber appealed to the Federal Government to release grains from the strategic grain reserve to the affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
It equally urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Refugees Commission to make special arrangement for the repatriation and resettlement of Nigeria refugees in Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
