The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) will, in conjunction with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), offer vocational skills to 350,000 displaced persons in Borno State.
The Federal Commissioner, NCFRMI, Senator Basheer Garba Mohammed, made this known at the launch of the verification exercise for ‘Project Reliance,’ a collaborative empowerment programme, in Maiduguri yesterday.
He said, “Every selected beneficiary will have the opportunity to choose from more than 50 vocational skills, trading, farming and other businesses. The applicants will also receive training, starter packs and start-up capital to become economically self-sufficient under Project Reliance.”
He said the programme was put together by the commission and the CBN towards the restoration of livelihoods of all displaced persons, adding that the CBN had done well in reducing poverty through development finance.
He said as the name implied ‘Project Reliance’ was geared towards making every displaced person in Nigeria self-reliant; adding that included everyone who had lost their home, their livelihood and those who sought refuge in the country.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment to the plight of displaced persons and said the focus on ensuring a strong, lasting solution to the issue of accessible livelihoods was borne out of Mr President’s desire that the government alleviates the long suffering faced by vulnerable people.
He said collaborations in developing more livelihood frameworks, biometric profile and data management of beneficiaries, donation of skill centres and equipment, among several other forms of support, was required.
The commissioner said Borno State has the highest number of displaced person in the country, with over 1.5 million IDPs and “another 400,000 plus citizens of the state have fled to neighbouring countries due to insurgency.”
On his part, Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, said there was no better time for the programme than the ‘present,’ when displaced persons were being returned to their ancestral settlements.
He said the programme would certainly help the select displaced persons to learn something new to earn a living as well as “help in gathering a comprehensive data for the IDPs involved.”
He said President Buhari had approved the building of 15,000 new houses for the displaced persons and that 30 per cent funding had already been released.
Representative of the CBN governor, Mr Anthony Ikechukwu, said the essence of the programme was to integrate displaced persons into the Nigerian economy by providing them with necessary support in addition to facilitating their return to their hometowns.
In his remarks, the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Elkanemi, said the porous borders had further exacerbated insurgency and other crimes with a cross-border dimension.
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