FCTA partners Humanitarian Affairs Ministry to improve welfare for IDPs
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration has concluded plans to partner Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development towards improving the welfare of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Territory.
Receiving a delegation from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development led by its Minister, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, the Minister of FCT, Malam Muhammad Bello, advised his colleague to take advantage of training facilities owned by the FCTA to train IDPs on various skills needed to empower them economically.
Bello flags off one-way directional traffic on southern park way
He noted that such partnership will ensure the strengthening of FCTA owned facilities so as to serve as models that can be replicated in other states of the Federation.
“For instance, we have schools that carter for children with special needs. We also have a training centre in Nyanya that will be able to train many of the IDPs in meaningful skills that will help them have a meaningful life wherever they are settled. We also have the Bwari centre where people that are picked from the street, particularly orphans and those who have no means of livelihood are trained.
“These centres have been there for quite some time and are functional. We also have orphanages. All are being handled by our Social Development Secretariat. And I noticed that they all fall under the purview of what your Ministry handles, so you may not need to invest in new institutions and facilities. All you need is just to use what is already here in the FCT. It’s just a matter of having a partnership where we jointly develop these institutions, upgrade them so that they can be up to the standard that you can use as models and encourage other states across the country to replicate.
Malam Bello then directed the setting up of a joint committee comprising members from both Ministries and to be supervised by the FCT Minister of state, Dr. Ramatu Aliyu, to work out modalities for the partnership, adding that it was the least they could do for the IDPs.
Earlier, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq had solicited the support of the FCTA for the improved welfare of IDPs in terms of rehabilitation of the settlements so that they can have befitting living environment in terms of water, health and education.
She said her Ministry has a record of over 26,726 IDPs spread across camps in the FCT, explaining that although some of them have skills, they still needed to be encouraged to improve themselves as well as contribute to the economy of the Territory.
