The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) has reported that more than 6.1 million Nigerians have been displaced as a result of insecurity and natural disasters.
The NCFRMI Federal Commissioner, Alhaji Tijjani Aliyu, disclosed this during a visit to Gov. Dikko Radda of Katsina State on Friday in Katsina.
According to him, as of 2022, the commission has about 3 million displaced persons, “but with floods and other natural disasters, we now have an additional 100 per cent of such displaced people.”
He explained: “Today, I can authoritatively say that we have not less than 6.1 million Nigerians displaced out of their homes.
“What do we do if all of them cannot go back? How do we fend for them? Can the government continue to fend them, providing them succour?
“Absolutely not possible; we have to find a way to teach these individuals trades and give them skills so that, at the end of the day, they can be on their own,” he said.
Aliyu disclosed the commission’s intention to construct three well-furnished skills acquisition centres across the Northeast from the 2024–2025 budget.
He said the essence of the visit was to distribute food items to about 700 displaced people in the state.
“Before today, the commission has been putting forth its efforts to ensure that these people were not left in an undignified way. Their children have received educational training funds from us.
“About 120 of them were trained, and about 70 of their mothers were given some small starter packs to improve their living standards,” he said.
Aliyu further mentioned that apart from that issue, the commission recognized a water scarcity problem within the IDP camp and promptly addressed it by installing a solar-powered borehole.
“We have also built settlement cities in IDP camp-located areas for those who may not want to go back to their ancestral homes, and Katsina is one of the beneficiaries,” he said.
The head of NCFRMI mentioned that the commission also plans to enroll the IDPs in a health insurance scheme to address their healthcare needs.
In response, Governor Radda praised the commission’s initiative, emphasizing that ensuring the welfare of IDPs is a shared responsibility between the state and federal governments. He highlighted the significant security challenges faced by the state, particularly in its eight frontline local government areas. The governor expressed concern that these challenges had severely impacted the state’s agricultural productivity, leading to the displacement of numerous communities.
However, Governor Radda expressed satisfaction with the improvement in security following the establishment of the Katsina Security Watch Corps (SWC). He called for enhanced collaboration with neighboring states and expressed optimism that the recent deployment of additional security personnel by the federal government would further improve the security situation, preventing criminals from operating freely.
Reports state that the federal commissioner later led other officials in launching the distribution of food items to the IDPs.