Benue Government Engages Stakeholders On IDP Policy

Benue State commissioner for Humanitarian and Disaster Management, Aondowase Kunde, has appealed to stakeholders to make valid inputs into the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) policy document, which aims to regulate and guide the well-being of displaced persons across the state.

The commissioner made the appeal when he addressed the stakeholders at the two IDPs Policy Document Validation meetings held in Makurdi, the state capital.

He explained that the document, which was passed into law by the National Assembly, needs to be domesticated in the state in accordance with its peculiarities.
Kunde said, “The domestication of the law will help the State Action Plan on Durable Solution to facilitate the reconstruction, resettlement and reintegration of the displaced persons back to their ancestral homes.”

In his remarks, the chairman of the Benue State House of Assembly Committee on Humanitarian and Disaster Management, Hon. James Umoro, pledged that the legislature would not hesitate to pass the document into law when presented by the executive arm of government.

He said, “The issue of IDP in the state is a concern for everyone and must be given accelerated consideration.”

On his part, the chairman, House Committee on SDG and Donor Agencies, Hon. Peter Uche, lamented that his constituency, which Yelwata is a part of, is the most ravaged and displaced from sustained attacks, killings and destruction of farms and other valuable property for more than 10 years.

“I want to call on all to support the implementation of this policy document for the welfare of the displaced persons and possible return to their ancestral homes to start their normal farming activities,” he said.

Also, the director-general of the Sustainable Development Goals, John Akuse, said the document’s validation was vital because it would allow the displaced population to be adequately cared for regarding their particular needs.

Earlier, the Advocacy Campaigns and Policy manager, Save the Children International, Murjanatu Kabir, kicked against the hasty return of the IDPs without proper arrangements, warning that doing so would make the children more vulnerable.