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Communal Clashes Displace 750,000 Nigerians - Atiku

This Day (Lagos)
NEWS
February 18, 2003
Posted to the web February 18, 2003

By Funmi Peter-Omale
Jos
Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has lamented that over 750,000 Nigerians have
been displaced in the last two years as a result of civil and communal crises.
Breaking down the figure, the vice president stated that as at the end of 2001,
more than 500,000 internally displaced persons had been recorded while about
250,000 persons were recorded at the end of 2002.
Atiku was speaking in Jos yesterday while declaring open a national workshop on
"United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement".
The vice president who was represented by Governor Joshua Dariye of Plateau
State noted "the crises of internal displacement affect over 20 million people
in the world," adding that Nigeria has its own "unenviable share."
He lamented that the figure of IDPs in the country, "continues altering as one
crisis is contained while another breaks out elsewhere."
Atiku stated that the present administration was very concerned about the
number and plight of the IDPs and thus set up machinery to bring succour to
them.
"The federal government led by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo is the first government
in Nigeria's history to evolve a specific policy to work for the protection of
the interest of internally displaced persons in Nigeria."
He stated further that the National Commission for Refugees, inaugurated by the
President last June was tasked to address the problems of the IDPs.
Atiku charged the commission, which organised the workshop in collaboration
with the Nigerian Refugee council to collaborate with other related agencies in
rehabilitating, resettlement and reconciliation of the victims.
Leader of the Norwegian team, Mr. Bjorn Petterson of the Global IDP of the
Norwegian Refugee council in an earlier address stated that the council is
basically a relief organisation that had to include the IDP into its programme
because of a global increase in the number of internally displaced persons.
Petterson explained that basically the Norwegian Refugee Council offer
assistance through the following emergency education for displaced persons,
distribution of food and materials and provision of shelter for the displaced.
Chairman, governing board of the National Commission for Refugees, Ambassador
Segun Olusola in his remark noted that government alone cannot do everything
and therefore called for all hands to be on deck in tackling the IDPs problems.
He however appealed to relevant authorities for appropriate funding for long
term programmes lined up for the resettlement, community peace, education and
re-integration of IDPs.

   

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