The federal government, European Union (EU), state governors and other stakeholders have taken significant steps to assist Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in parts of the country with the launch of two new initiatives.
The initiatives include the EU Support for Internally Displaced Persons in Yobe, Adamawa, Benue and Kano states (SIDPIN) and the EU Support for Protection, Assistance and Durable Solutions in Sokoto (SPADS).
Speaking during the launch in Abuja, the head of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, said the initiatives, worth a combined 15 million euros, reflected the EU’s deep commitment to advancing human dignity, resilience and sustainable development for displaced persons and the communities that host them.
He said, “Together with the federal and state authorities, our partners including the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and Danish Refugee Council (DRC), we will spearhead this initiative by focusing on local integration in urban and urbanising areas, adopting a multi-scale, integrated and area-based territorial approach.
“The overall objective of these actions is to strengthen durable solutions through local integration, with a specific focus on women and children. We aim to improve the living conditions of displaced populations and host communities in Adamawa, Yobe, Benue, Kano, and Sokoto states through sustainable local urban integration approaches that are replicable and scalable.
“Displacement in Nigeria, particularly in the North East, North Central and North West has affected over 3.5 million people. These are not just statistics. They are lives interrupted, dreams deferred, families torn from their homes and futures. Many of these IDPs want to return home to the place they were forced to leave.”
Benue State governor, Hyacinth Alia, in his remarks, lauded the EU and other partners for the initiative even as he affirmed the commitment of his state to ensure the implementation of the programme for the benefit of displaced people.
He said, “In many parts of the country today, displacements have become a recurring tragedy.
In Benue, just like Adamawa, Sokoto, Yobe, Kano, the tragedy of displacement is not statistic, it is a lived reality, mothers raising children under makeshift shelters, farmers unable to return to their fields and communities stretched to their limits as they host those in need.
“Therefore, to recognise the solution to internal displacement, we must go beyond emergency relief and ensure a durable solution that ensures their safety, security, economic self -reliance and promoting community cohesion.”
The governors of Adamawa, Kano, Sokoto and Yobe who spoke through representatives, noted that the initiatives were not just humanitarian but also developmental, even as they commended the EU for the opportunity to rehabilitate and rebuild the lives of the displaced persons and give them hope of a better future.
They agreed that it was a strategic opportunity to strengthen resilience, social cohesion and economic recovery in the affected states and build their capacity and called on stakeholders to address the root causes of conflict in the states.
The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, in his remarks, noted that through collaboration, the stakeholders can bring back the dignity of those displaced and give them succor.
