The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, has said a total of 322,000 Nigerian refugees are currently living in neighbouring countries.
She disclosed this in Abuja yesterday while handing over the chairing of the TWG Tripartite Agreement to the Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim.
- Why Nigerians still sleep with hunger despite massive food production – Agric minister
Mass exodus of doctors must stop
The hand-over was done during the Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting on the voluntary repatriation of Nigerian refugees living in Cameroon, Niger and Chad Republic held at the Army Resource Centre, Abuja.
According to the minister, the breakdown of the figures include 186,957 in Niger Republic; 118,409 in Cameroon and 16, 634 in Chad.
She said that, with the large numbers of refugees in Niger, Chad and Cameroon, the Federal Government of Nigeria has officially initiated talks with the Governments of Chad and Niger to sign tripartite agreements similar to the one it has with the Republic of Cameroon.
Also speaking, the Federal Commissioner, NCFRMI, Hajiya Imaan said the TWG was saddled with the responsibility of ensuring the safe return of Nigerian refugees and that the NCFRMI is the driving force behind the exercise under the formidable direction and support of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.
