Keffi (Nasarawa): The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) has renamed a resettlement city for concerned persons after the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu.
Speaking at the city in Keffi, Nasarawa State, the Federal Commissioner, NCFRMI, Alhaji Tijani Ahmed, said the renaming of the resettlement city after Mrs Tinubu was in recognition of her numerous contributions and motherly roles in the lives of the displaced persons in Nigeria.
Ahmed disclosed that the resettlement city housed about 40 households of displaced persons/refugees, providing them with decent accommodation and better living conditions.
Ahmed explained that about 239 individuals benefited from the allocation.
“Your excellency, while the resettlement city project brings new hope, it also underscores the urgent need to expand our interventions,” he said.
Ahmed said that an estimated 6.1 million individuals remain displaced across Nigeria, many of them innocent women and children.
“The growing number of returnees migrants, many of whom embarked on dangerous irregular journeys in search of better opportunities, further heightens the gravity of the situation.
“Disturbing reports continue to emerge of women and children taking refuge in unsafe places, such as market stalls, abandoned buildings, and infamous settlements. These realities can call for bold and immediate measures,’ he said.
Tijani commended President Bola Tinubu’s efforts at providing durable solutions to Nigerians’ challenges and raising the hope of the country’s less privileged and displaced individuals.
Therefore, he called on the people to support the Commission for sustained investment to replicate and scale the resettlement model nationwide and ensure no one is left behind.
While promising to replicate the initiative across the country, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, said the gesture was a renewed hope for the displaced persons.
“Your voice is heard, you’re seen, and you matter; you now have access to a good life and dignity,” Yilwatda said.
For his part, Nasarawa State Gov. Dr Abdullahi Sule commended the Federal Government for its support of humanity, especially the displaced persons in the country.
Sule said the State provided farmlands for the IDPs to aid their livelihood and well-being.
In her remarks, Mrs Tinubu said the event represented progress in the national efforts to restore hope, dignity, safety, and patriotism to concerned Nigerians who were displaced from their homes.
“I am pleased to witness the resettlement of 40 households, comprising 239 individuals, into a safe and dignified environment.
“This development reaffirms President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda, which aims to enhance social welfare programmes for all Nigerians.
“President Tinubu would love to see all Nigerians being cared for, living in a dignified environment, going to school and being productive to society, as their hope is being renewed,” she said.
Mrs Tinubu also praised Ahmed for the successful completion of the project.
The centre’s facilities and infrastructure included a recreational area, mosques, and churches to promote religious ethics among the residents.
Others were Greenhouses for farming and a market set up to facilitate the sale of excess produce.
