By Blessing Bature-Akpakpan, Abuja
The Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Senator Basheer Garba Mohammed, has said the commission will continue to ensure that issues affecting refugees in Nigeria are addressed.
He made this known in Abuja during a two-day stakeholders meeting on implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) that the Commission has been partnering with relevant stakeholders in providing medical, financial and morale support for refugees in Nigeria.
Represented by Director, Refugees and Migration, Mr Tai Hassan Ejibunu, Mohammed said Nigeria came up with four pledges at the Geneva’s meeting on the GRF with emphasis on the core areas of interest for durable solutions for refugees, IDPs, returnees and host communities. These pledges centred on inclusion of Persons of Concerns (PoCs) in the national development plan, strengthening protection capacity ensuring availability and access to durable solutions and ensuring active participation at regional and sub-regional efforts to address root causes displacement.
Mohammed said, “that in preparation for the Global Refugees Forum (GRF), Nigeria organized series of consultative meetings with stakeholders comprising of state and non-state actors where issues peculiar to the management of refugees were discussed and pledges made towards the GCR. A two-day workshop was organized in November 2019, which served as a forum to aggregate the views expressed at the zonal workshops, with stakeholders coming up with a harmonized document of Nigeria’s pledge for her participation at the annual Global Refugee Forum (GRF) meeting which held in December 2019 at Geneva, Switzerland.”
Also speaking, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq said the ministry will continue partnering with relevant stakeholders to achieve the federal government’s objectives for refugees.
