150,000 refugees storm Nigeria through borders says Presidency
Despite challenges faced by government in catering for the needs of people displaced by the Boko Haram sect in the North East,the Presidency has disclosed that a fresh batch of 150,000 refugees recently returned to the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari made the disclosure on Monday at the Presidential Villa,when he received Phillipo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
“About 150,000 refugees have also come back home from across the borders. Our sleeves are rolled up to face the challenges head-on, along with our strategic partners,” the President said in a remark to welcome the UN envoy.
Buhari said Nigeria has always been guided by international best practice and standards in rehabilitating millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) spawned by the Boko Haram insurgency.
He said Nigeria was also making efforts to domesticate the Kampala Convention, which legally binds governments to protect the rights and wellbeing of people forced to flee their homes by conflict.
He lauded the military, which he said has created a safe passage that has made it easier to help the displaced persons.
He disclosed that different mechanisms have been put in place to care for the displaced, in areas of nutrition, health, physical and spiritual rehabilitation, among others.
Meanwhile, Grandi, who had visited Cameroun, Niger, and Chad, as part of his tour of the Lake Chad Basin region, commended what he called “Nigeria’s determination to resolve the humanitarian crisis” at hand, noting that his visit to Maiduguri, in Borno State, afforded him the opportunity “to see the excellent work being done by the authorities, with support of the international community.”
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said he was leaving Nigeria with the conviction that things were under control, stressing: “A lot remains to be done, but I see progress. I have seen the protection given to the rights and privileges of civilians in the North-east, and it is commendable.”
Grandi assured that the UN would always be of assistance to Nigeria especially with resources and the needed expertise to resettle displaced persons.
