The federal government is planning to find permanent homes in Abuja for persons displaced by Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, who are currently living in Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDPs) camps in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The government is applying for land in the FCT to resettle them permanently.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Mrs. Sadiya Umar-Farouk, disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday.
She spoke shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the National Humanitarian Coordination Committee to assist the ministry in delivery humanitarian services.
She noted that the Abuja IDPs had lived there for years and might not want to return to their homes.
Umar-Farouk added that the government would not force them if they were unwilling to go back home.
She said, “Just a few weeks ago, I visited the Minister of FCT and he has assured us that he is going to give us land where we will really resettle these people.
“Don’t forget that these people have been there for a very long time. Some of them might never go back to their communities and you can’t force them. That’s why we are looking at how we are going to get land for them to really put structures and resettle them; we are doing that.”
The minister was responding to questions on the hygiene situation in some the camps, especially in the wake of the outbreak of Coronavirus.
“Of course, coronavirus has negative impact on all populations, including our IDPs and the ministry is taking measures to see how we can sensitize these displaced communities in the camps as well as to supply them with all the medical needs to mitigate this virus.
“I am sure you know that a presidential task force has been constituted by Mr. President and the ministry is a member. We are working day and night on how take all the measures to prevent the impact of the virus in our country”, Umar-Farouk added.
