10,000-hectare Land To Be Developed For Benue IDPs – Minister

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Eradication, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, has announced plans to develop 10,000 hectares of land for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Benue State.

Yilwatda made the disclosure on Thursday while delivering his keynote address at the launch of the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, organized by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

“10,000 hectares of land will be developed for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Benue State,” he stated.

Reflecting on his personal experience, Yilwatda shared how he once lived in an IDP camp in Bauchi State after his home was burned during a sectarian crisis

“You know, I have also been in an IDP camp, so I know how hard it can be. I know how hard it gets. I stayed in the camp for one month when that Bauchi crisis happened and our house was burnt, so I have the experience,” he said.

The minister emphasised that humanitarian interventions were focusing on women due to their heightened vulnerability in displacement situations.

“When a woman is displaced, it is a double problem. When a woman is pregnant and displaced, that is triple the problem. When a woman is pregnant, displaced, and has a disability, I don’t know what to call that,” he remarked.

He further noted that female-headed households face greater risks compared to male-headed households.

As part of the government’s intervention efforts, Yilwatda revealed plans to provide 10 million houses for IDPs under conditional cash transfer programmes, ₦32 billion in soft loans with interest for rural farmers, ₦4 billion in direct cash support for vulnerable groups, including victims of floods and other disasters.

The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting displaced persons and vulnerable communities across the country.