Senator Ali Ndume (APC-Borno) has
urged all Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Gwazo taking refuge in
Maiduguri, to return home, assuring them of their safety.
Ndume made the call on Monday
while addressing the IDPs in Bakassi and Gubio camps in Maiduguri.
The lawmaker, who was
intermittently wiping tears from his eyes with a handkerchief, expressed
disappointment that the IDPs from Gwoza had yet to be resettled even when
normalcy had returned to the town.
He said that insurgency had
reduced many people in Gwoza to almost beggars and they had to wait to be given
handouts in the camp before they could feed.
“The Palestinian IDPs camp has been
existing for 60 years; in Kenya, it existed for about 30 years.
“So, insecurity cannot be
completely eliminated. We must therefore defy fears, summon courage and be
resilient in order to achieve permanent solution to our problems.
“It is understood that some of
them are traumatised because of what happened to them and they are scared they
may be attacked again while some are thinking of what to do when they go back
home.
“We have people of Izge and
Limakara who lived inside the deep mountains, but have consistently defeated
Boko Haram because they are resilient, focused, vigilant and always at alert.
“Because of their resilience,
they are now expanding their territories; we can also do the same in Gwoza,” he
said.
Ndume said that government had
already made efforts to rehabilitate and reconstruct many residential homes,
schools, clinics, palace and other social ammenities to enhance civic
authority, NAN reports
“The Federal Government is also
focusing on rehabilitation and resetlement of IDPs through the North East
Development Commission (NEDC) with an approved take-off sum of N95 billion,” he
said.
Ndume recalled that the European
Union recently committed about N8 billion to support Post Insurgency Response,
Recovery and Resilience for the IDPs in the education sector.
The senator said Gwoza was among
the nine local government areas to benefit from the intervention.
In the area of security, he
lauded the Nigerian armed forces for adopting proactive modalities to secure
returnees in their farmlands, homes and markets places.
The Senator expressed optimism
that many farmers would record bumper harvests this cropping season, in view of
improvement on security of lives and property.
“Improved security situation and
support from humanitarian organisations have encouraged many farmers from
Firgi, Pulka, Warabe and Kirawa communities in Gwoza to go back to their farms
this year,” he said.
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