May 16, (THEWILL)- The Benue State Government has promised to improve security, healthcare and water supply in all Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps across the state as they await their final return to their ancestral homes.
The Commissioner for Humanitarian and Disaster Management, Mr. Aondowase Kunde, disclosed this on Thursday, during the Benue State Durable Solutions Frame Work Development and Action Planning workshop for Internally Displaced Persons in the State.
The Commissioner, who is also the Chairman of the Task Force on Durable Solutions to the return of Internally Displaced Persons in Benue State, noted that a survey has already been carried out to dig hand wells at Ortese IDP Camp where boreholes could not yield water, assuring that the collapsed Dam at Ortese will be repaired to address the shortage of water in the community.
According to him, information has been collated from IDPs who lost their seed yams and other valuables, saying it would be addressed at an approximate time and called on the people to be supportive at all times.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Prof. Moses Ogbaji, said the committee met over five times with recommendations on how best to find a lasting solution for the return of the displaced to their ancestral homes.
He said despite the challenges, some IDPs are better than prisoners since they have the freedom to move in and out of the camps at will.
According to him, cluster settlements will go a long way in preventing invasion by herdsmen in Benue communities.
In his presentation, the UNDP representative on Durable Solutions in Benue State, Mr. Adewole Oke, commended the efforts of the Governor Alia-led administration in improving the conditions of IDPs in the state.
He assured that donor bodies like UNDP, IOM and other civil society organisations will always stand with the Benue State Government to resettle the displaced.
In a presentation, the Technical Adviser of the Bureau for International Cooperation and Development said the Alia administration has prioritised the return of IDPs through the creation of the Ministry of Humanitarian and Disaster Management.
He noted that the Government kickstarted the process with the workshop to identify the priorities of the IDPs and aid their return to their ancestral homes.
The Principal Private Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Mr. Lawrence Ogwuche, in a presentation, called on participating IDPs to list out their problems for collation and to find ways of forestalling further disaster.
Some of the IDPs who spoke at the workshop listed the lack of security, water, healthcare facilities, schools, food, bridges and markets as some of the challenges facing them.
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