Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno, has said that his administration planned to construct 85,000 houses to resettle two million displaced persons in 66 communities across the state.
He said this during a meeting with the North-East Ambassadors’ Group, on Thursday in Maiduguri.
The group, chaired by the British High Commissioner, Richard Montgomery, comprises High Commissioners, Ambassadors, UN Humanitarian Coordinator to Nigeria, Defence Attaches and other humanitarian partners.
Mr Zulum said the state government would construct schools, clinics, police posts, market places, water points, secured farmlands and vocational training centers in each of the 66 communities.
He said the government would commit 15 per cent of its annual budget to fast track resettlement of the displaced persons, while expanding Maiduguri metropolis along six axis to accommodate people who choose to integrate into the city.
According to Mr Zulum, the state requires about $2.7 billion dollars to achieve sustainable solution pathway for Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs.
“I am committed to resettling our people into decent homes in secure areas, supporting them to reintegrate into communities or relocate to another place as they wish, respecting their choices and dignity.
“Implementing the durable solutions pathway for IDPs will also significantly reduce the recruitment of jobless young men by Islamic State’s of West Africa Province (ISWAP), which is a threat to national and international security,” he said.
He underscored the imperative of his administration’s Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Resettlement (RRR) programme, to mitigate internal displacement, and pledged to consolidate on the feat achieved in security and peace restoration.
Mr Zulum lauded the development partners for their supports to the Regional Stabilisation Facility and one UN offer, adding that, “it has greatly impacted the lives of the people affected by insurgency in the Lake Chad region”.
On alleged mass abduction of IDPs by Boko Haram insurgents at Gamboru Ngala in Ngala Local Government Area of the state, Zulum enjoined the people to be careful, adding that the number of the victims could not be ascertained.
“As the Chief Security Officer of the state, I am yet to receive any official figure on the abduction in Gamboru-Ngala. So we must be very careful of making unverifiable predictions.
“What you heard a few days ago in Gamboru Ngala is about recruitment. They (the insurgents) lost their members and their numbers have depleted and they are now looking for new recruits and women.
“We are yet to ascertain the correct numbers of the abducted victims. Some may have decided to go voluntarily.
“And that’s what I am afraid of. If people decided to go to the bush voluntarily, you cannot do anything to stop them, that has been my fear since.
“Reliably, I was informed that some of the women were returning to the bush willingly. Even in Mafa, I went a few days ago, and I saw a group of 200 women who said they wanted to go to the bush.
“They said they are in the camp and they are not getting anything. We went and calmed them. This also underscores the fact that there is hunger in the IDPs.
“We therefore need your support, especially at the local government levels where we have resettled our people.
“We need to provide them with durable and sustainable livelihood. We need to move away from the immediate solutions to medium and long time durable solutions because once we don’t take care of the IDPs, we will be at a risk of them returning back to the fighters in the forest,” the governor said.
Also Speaking, Mr Montgomery commended Zulum for his commitment towards improving the lives of the people in the state
“I think, I can say on behalf of the whole team that we are delighted and we are also united in recognising that you have made the commitment and showed dynamism in your leadership that we really appreciate.
“Also by showing the way you want to make a difference for your people and putting in place both the short-term plans, and the 25-year Borno State Development Plan and vision,” he said.
According to him, the group has a wide membership including bilateral partners, the UN family, the European Union (EU), international finance institutions, among others.
Mr Montgomery said that they all have an interest in the stabilisation in the security and in the development of the North-East region.
“The northeast ambassadors’ group expressed commitment to support Borno in achieving durable solutions to address challenges of improving the livelihood of IDPs”.
NAN
