Commission empowers Central Africa refugees in Kano

The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) has trained refugees from Central African Republic (CAR) with the view to empowering them to stand on their feet.

The Commission, which conducted the training and skills acquisition programme in Kano, selected 52 refugees living in the state and trained them on soap making and oil production.

During the closing ceremony, held on Friday at Mambayya House in Kano, the Federal Commissioner for NCFRMI, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, represented by Head, Kano Field office of the commission, Hajiya Lubah Liman Gusau, said the essence of the empowerment was to let the refugees be self reliant instead of giving them relief materials all the time.

The federal commissioner then congratulated the beneficiaries and urged them to effectively utilize the training and equipment given to them by the commission.

The beneficiaries of the empowerment programme were divided into two categories, with half of them trained on soap making while the remaining half underwent oil production training which lasted for five days.

At the end of the training, all the participants were issued certificate of attendance, while the soap making trainees were given starter packs and the oil production trainees were given machineries and raw materials to startup their businesses.

All the beneficiaries were also given the sum of N10,000 each as takeoff grant for their businesses as well as N2,500 each as their transport allowances.

Two of the beneficiaries, Fatima Sylla and Maiwada Ibrahim, who spoke on behalf of their colleagues, thanked the commission for the gesture and promised to utilize it for their maximum benefit.