Borno State Government plans to return and resettle 1.8 million persons displaced by the insurgency in 23 local government areas in the state.
Commissioner for Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Resettlement Mustapha Gubio made this known yesterday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri.
Gubio said the people would go back home as a result of the return of relative peace in the affected areas.
He said those to be returned would be those who indicated a willingness to go back home.
He noted that over the past decade, the violence in Northeast had left 2.5 million people displaced in the region, of which 1.8 million were from Borno, triggering a serious humanitarian crisis.
Gubio explained that the displaced population had lost their homes, farmlands and other sources of livelihoods, making them dependent on relief materials support from the state and the Federal Government as well as humanitarian organisations.
He said that with the return of relative peace in most parts of the state, the government embarked on massive rehabilitation and reconstruction of destroyed communities.
He said that so far thousands of houses, healthcare centres, schools, police stations, worship centres, markets, among others, had been reconstructed.
“These projects undertaken by the ministry was in line with Governor Babagana Zulum’s 10-Point Agenda to fast-track the return of all displaced persons latest by May 29, 2021.
“As you are aware, the Borno government has started returning some from nearby communities.
“First, we started with the 560 families from Auno community in Konduga council and Ajiri in Mafa, where 2,800 willingly returned home.
“We have constructed 500 houses in Ajiri, in addition to the 1,000 homes being constructed by the North East Development Commission (NEDC) in Ngwom in Mafa Local government areas.
“We will resettle the people of Kawuri, an agrarian community in Konduga council, where we constructed 250 new houses for the people so that they can go back to their irrigation activities.
“We are also going to return displaced persons living in Banki from Cameroon to restore the socio-economic activities in the commercial town as soon as we get clearance from the Nigerian military.
“Arrangement is also in place to resettle some people in Wulgo, Malam Fatori, Krenuwa, Warabe, Ashgashiya, Kukawa, Gajibo and Bama before the end of this year.”
