The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, has empowered over 5,000 Internally Displaced Persons in Kebbi with empowerment materials.
The Federal Commissioner of the commission, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, made this known at the inuauguration of the distribution of the materials to IDPs in Maiyama Local Government Area of Kebbi on Saturday.
“We are here to fullfil the promise we made last year during our assessment tour where we saw the condition of the IDPs in Bunza and Kamba, especially in Bunza which has the largest number of IDPs in the state.
“We are here to assist, to make over 4,000 IDPs be self-reliant and productive, we believe that economic empowerment is an important tool that can be used to support IDPs,” the commissioner said.
Farouq said the commission came up with skills acquisition programmes with focus on farming and agriculture for IDPs and migrants.
“We also learnt of the disaster of windstorm that displaced over 1,000 people in Maiyama last year.
“We are also here to hand over the relief materials and skill acquisition materials on tailoring to Kebbi State Government for IDPs in Maiyama Local Government Area who were victims of the disaster ravage communities,” she added.
According to her, the commission has the responsibility of ensuring that durable solutions are found for persons and communities who have been displaced by conflict, man-made and natural disaster.
She said that the commission, therefore, remains committed to carrying out this mandate as well as keying into the plans envisioned by President Muhammadu Buhari for the Persons of Concern (POC) in Nigeria.
In his remarks, the Executive Chairman, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Alhaji Sani Dododo, commended the commission and non-governmental partners for their support to IDPs and migrants in the state.
He also commended the commissioner for holding onto her assessment tour’s promise.
Dododo,who was represented by the Executive Director of the agency, Alhaji Rabiu Kamba, urged the beneficiaries to judiciously utilise the materials for the purpose they were given.
He said the gesture was meant to alleviate their sufferings in order to be self- reliant and productive.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Malam Muhammadu Labbo, thanked the national commission for fulfilling the promise it made to the IDPs.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state has over 60,000 IDPs, which is the highest in the North-west geopolitical zone of the country. (NAN).
