Pascal Arogorn Ibe
The Federal Government has placed the number of people displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, armed banditry in the North-West and communal clashes in the country at about two million.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouk, disclosed this to correspondents after leading members of the newly established National Commission for Persons with Disabilities on a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja, on Thursday.
She, however, assured that her ministry was doing all that is necessary to provide support and resettle them.
Asked for an overview on the situation of the displaced persons in the northeast and North -West, she said: “Well, as at today, we have over two million displaced persons in the country. Ranging from those displaced by insurgency, armed banditry, communal clashes and so on and so forth.
“The mandate of the ministry is to provide effective communication of national and international humanitarian interventions, ensure strategic disaster education and response as well as to formulate and implement policies and programmes geared towards social protection and inclusion of our citizens.
“So, the ministry is doing its best to see that people who are displaced in this country are given the necessary support by way of supporting their livelihoods, rebuild their homes in areas of disasters and settling those who have fled their places seeking for refuge, provided their communities are safe for them to return. This is what we are working and we hope to achieve the desired result.”
The minister explained that the purpose of the visit to President Buhari was to thank him for his support on the issues of persons with disabilities in this country.
During the meeting, President Buhari had charged the Commission to play its roles adequately in the realisation of the government objective of lifting 100million Nigerians out of poverty.
In his address to the delegation, he said: “I am enjoining you as a team of the commission, to realise that your work forms a critical aspect in achieving the objective of our Administration to removing 100 million Nigerians out of poverty. I am therefore looking forward to commissioning projects and programmes of high impact on the disabled community in line with this vision.
“Your appointments were no mistake as you were all selected after careful evaluation and assessment of your good conduct and contribution to the society and the disabled community in Nigeria.
“The task before you is enormous. You must work diligently towards ensuring that the Government is able to touch the lives of our fellow citizens with special needs despite our limited resources.”
He assured that his administration will continue to give effect to treaties that give inclusivity to persons with disabilities, adding:
“Nigeria is a signatory and a state party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which seeks to promote the inclusion of persons with special needs in all development efforts globally. Under my leadership, Government shall continue to give effect to all global, regional and sub-regional treaties that seek to improve the lives of our disadvantaged citizens.”
The President expressed joy that the Commission was finally in place having been an issue during his campaigns, saying: ”In December 2014, during my campaign for the President of this country under our great party, I met with the Community of Persons with Special Needs who showed unalloyed loyalty and support for our party and my candidature in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital. I recall that the most pressing and priority request from the Community was the passage of the Disability Bill and the subsequent presidential assent which I promised them I shall do. I am happy to have fulfilled that promise.”
He commended the governors who had enacted laws on disability and enjoined others who had not to do the needful, noting: “I thank the Governors of Plateau, Lagos and Nasarawa States for enacting disability laws and establishing Disability Rights Commissions in their states, I am calling on Governors of Yobe, Kano and Kogi States, to implement their laws while those states that are yet to do so should take necessary action to enable Federal Government efforts to have the desired impact at the subnational levels.”
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