Bindow seeks FG support over planned deportation of Nigerians from Cameroon

Ahead of the deportation of over 80,000 Nigerians from Cameroon Republic, through Adamawa State, the government has called on the Federal Government, as well as international donor agencies to come to its rescue, noting that it might not be able to shoulder the responsibilities of catering for the teeming deportees alone.

The call came through the Commissioner of Information, Comrade Ahmed Sajoh, when he – alongside the Federal Government delegation, visited the proposed site where the deportees would be hosted.

Sajoh noted that the call became imperative in view of the sheer size of the deportees and the nature of the proposed camp which he said needed rehabilitation.

He noted that even providing a perimeter fencing on the facility would cost the state enormous funds, as would providing other basic infrastructure.

He noted that the state government had serious financial constraint, especially in consideration of the cash crunch facing the country.

Sajoh added the state government had already constituted a committee which would liaise with relevant stakeholders to see how best to tackle the issue – including profiling of all deportees, in order to ensure water tight security around the facility.

The Adamawa State Camps Co-ordinator of National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), Saad Bello, noted that his organisation had made adequate arrangement to ensure that the deportees were adequately catered for.

He noted that the camp would need about 15 motorised boreholes and a number of hand pumps to take care of the water needs of the deportees, as well as hundreds of toilets, noting that the challenges of hosting the deportees was enormous.

In his reaction, the leader of the delegation and Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Policy, Development and Analysis, Ibrahim Bapetel, urged the various stakeholders to prepare a comprehensive needs report for onward transmission to the Federal Government.

He said that due to the Federal Government’s concern for the plight of the deportees, he was optimistic that the needs report would be treated with despatch.

Bapetel noted that the size of the deportees was so large, and so urged International donors to also come to the assistance of the Federal Government in addressing the myriads of challenges that would arise in handling the deportees.