In view of the deplorable conditions awaiting internally displaced persons, IDPs, as they return to their homes from across the country and beyond, the Senate on Tuesday urged the federal government to provide interim material and financial succour of N10billion to the returnees.
In a motion brought by the Senate Leader, Ali Ndume (APC), Borno South, he submitted that the federal government was already winning the war against Boko Haram insurgents and as a result, the IDPs have started returning to their homes, but lamented that their belongings have wantonly been destroyed.
Ndume expressed worries “that the internally displaced persons from these states ran away from their homes leaving everything they own behind with hope of returning in short time, but end end up losing everything to the insurgents.”
He noted that returnees have no commercial banks even before their displacement, hence they did not have savings to enable them start life all over, stressing that financial assistance to them will come handy.
“For IDPs to return home, they need immediate financial support and other relief materials to start their lives all over again before the intervention from the proposed Northeast Development Commission,” he maintained.
Senators Emmanuel Bwacha (PDP) Taraba and Philip Aduda (PDP) FCT advocated that all IDPs across the country should be captured in the proposed immediate intervention and not Borno, Yobe and Adamawa alone.
“Distinguished Senators, I want add that IDPs are in Taraba State who are willing to return home now that peace is gradually returning as well as Nasarawa, FCT and other places, all of them should be captured in the proposal,” Bwacha added.
Senate President, Bukola Saraki while remarking on the motion, urged the appropriate Committees to write letters of appreciation to the embassies of countries where Nigerian refugees are accommodated.
He added that NEMA and the refugees commission should make special arrangement for the repatriation and resettlement of Nigeria refugees living in Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
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