The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons has announced full sponsorship for 10 students in internally displaced persons camps to pursue their tertiary education in one of its partner universities within the country.
“We are going to pay for their registration and also to pay their school fees for the rest of their stay in the university,” federal commissioner of the Refugees Commission, Tijjani Ahmed made this disclosure at the inspection and launch of a computer centre for IDPs at the displaced persons camp in Durumi area of the Federal Capital Territory.
The commissioner also expressed displeasure over the mismanagement of the facilities and items donated to the displaced people by the camp’s management, stating that the commission would launch an enquiry into the issue.
Specifically, Ahmed said some classrooms that were supposed to have been used to teach the people living in the camp were being used to keep both food and non-food items that were supposed to have been distributed to the IDPs, leaving them hungry and uneducated.
“We will not take that. We are going to invite the heads of this camp for questioning, and we will, by the grace of God, deal with the situation severely,” he said.
The computer centre is equipped with 13 computer sets, furniture, and solar power for 24/7 electricity, among other things. It was built by Brandlife Vision Foundation with support from the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons.
“The National Commission for Refugees will continue to partner with Hajiya Binta Sidi (owner of the foundation) to provide all the necessary assistance so that our children in the camp are not left illiterate,” the commissioner stated.
He told journalists that the commission has profiled about 40 persons for relocation to the permanent camp in nearby Keffi, Nasarawa State. Ahmed said his commission will now streamline the issue of teaching in some of the classes for maximum impact.
The founder of Brandlife Vision Foundation said the foundation is focused on providing ICT education and adult education to IDPs to help them acquire the skills that will make them useful in the modern world.
Hajiya Sidi said the intervention is targeting 1000 IDPs with a plan to sustain it on a long term basis. “It’s not just for one time. It’s a continuous process that we’re going to have here. If this batch has graduated, then the next branch will come in,” she promised.
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