AHMED MARI Mauduguri
President Bola Tinubu has flagged off Renewed Hope Agric Empowerment Project for the Internally-Displaced persons (IDPs) as part of his efforts in ensuring they become self reliant.
The Federal Government through the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and the National Refugees Commission, Migrants and Internally-Displaced persons Alleviation provided and cultivated 150 hectares of land provided seeds, fertilizers and other farm inputs to the IDPs as part of food security initiative and boost the economy of the displaced persons.
Flagging off the 2924 Renewed Hope Agric Empowerment Project harvest at the Madujawuri community of Jere Local Government Area, President Tinubu said the projects were aimed at providing sustainable livelihood support to the IDPs.
The projects initiated by the National Refugees Commission,Migrants and Internally-Displaced persons in conjunction with Federal Ministry of Agriculture and food security is aimed at providing sustainable livelihood support to the IDPs.
Represented by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Prof Nantaee Yilwatda, the President said: “This year, we cultivated 150 hectares of land and 300 persons benefitted. By the Grace of God next year, we are going to cultivate more hectares and more people would benefit. Each and every one of you would go home with 20 per cent of the farm produce and a cash of N20,000 “.
“I also bring you greetings from President Bola Tinubu; he told me to inform you that he feels your pains and he is with you.He us doing everything possible to see you return to your communities”, he added.
During the visit to Maiduguri, the Minister also distributed food items to the IDPs at the Madinatu and Amarwa IDP camp and resettle city respectively.
Addressing the IDPs, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Prof. Nantaee Yilwatda, said: ” I was sent by the President Bola Tinubu to come and see you and inform you that he is with you; feels your pains and he is committed to see that you return to your communities.”
“The President knows that you were not able to farm due to result of insurgency and even those that were able to farm, the recent flood that ravaged Maiduguri destroyed the farm and he sent me to bring these”, he further explained.
The food items include a bag of rice, Semovita, carton of spaghetti, noodles, salt, Maggi and cooking oil.
While at the Government House, Maiduguri, Prof. Yilwatda said: “This is my first official visit outside Abuja since I assumed duty as Minister; we are here on an assessment visit, we are developing a Humanitarian Response Plan which will be presented in January next year; we will work with the Borno State government to mainstream the challenges of the IDPs.
“We want to shift from providing short-term assistance to durable and sustainable solution through empowering and provision of livelihood support to the IDPs to earn their living. We would partner with you to support them; we will work with you together to see that no man or woman or child is left behind in our quest to provide durable and sustainable solution to the challenges of the IDPs”.
He assured the Governor that the Ministry would work with him in the rehabilitation and ressetlement of the IDPs, as well as repatriation, ressetlement and reintegration of the refugess taking refuge in Niger, Chad and Cameroon Republics.
Responding, Governmor Babagana Zulum of Borno State said the state government wanted to close all the IDPs’ camps in the state before the end of his tenure, as keeping people in the camp is not the best because of social.vices and donor fatigue.
“The IDPs have stayed for so long in the camps, we want to close all camps in the state; we want to resettle the IDPs because of social vices and donor fatigue. We would work with you to ressettle them back to their communities and provide them with livelihood support”, Zulum said.
For a better society
