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60m People Displaced Globally -UN …As IDPs, Refugees Hit 2.2m In Nigeria
The UN Refugees Chief, Antonio Guterres, said yesterday in Geneva that the world has entered a phase in which multiple crises have caused refugee numbers to soar to unprecedented levels.
Guterres said in his annual report that it was unfortunate that the international community could not work together to stop wars, build and preserve peace.
He said that another post-World-War-II record was set in 2014, as 59.5 million people were counted as refugees or as internally displaced people.
He said Syrians, Afghans and Somalians make up the biggest groups.
Guterres said the world was witnessing a paradigm change, an unchecked slide into an era in which the scale of forced displacement and the response required was now clearly dwarfing anything seen before.
“The equivalent of the population of metropolitan London, 13.9 million, became newly displaced as they fled wars, persecution or oppression during 2014.
The UN refugee agency chief said the figure was four times higher than what was recorded in 2010.
Guterres said that 15 conflicts had broken out or restarted in the past few years, including in the Central African Republic, Iraq, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen.
“In addition to people who fled in previous years and haven’t returned home, there were 38 million internally displaced people, nearly 20 million refugees and 1.8 million asylum seekers last year.
“More than half of the refugees are children,’’ he said.
Guterres said Turkey was the biggest refugee host country, as a result of the conflict in neighbouring Syria, followed by Pakistan, Lebanon, Iran and Ethiopia.
He said flowing ‘unprecedented’ mass displacement, there was urgent need for an unprecedented humanitarian response and a renewed global commitment to tolerance and protection for people fleeing conflict and persecution.
Similarly, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCRMIDP) has said that Nigeria is currently catering for two million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
The National Commissioner for the commission, Hajia Hadiza Kangiwa, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Lagos yesterday.
Kangiwa said that government was also catering for 2,000 refugees, who were foreign nationals, noting that the people were kept in Churches, public schools and other makeshift buildings.
“Government provides food items, toiletries, cloths and insecticide to cater for their welfare under temporary arrangement,’’ she said.
She said that caring for that huge number of IDPs, posed serious challenge for the government.
According to her, the Federal Government is not favourably disposed to setting up camps for the displaced persons.
She, however, noted that having camp was imperative to taking good care of those displaced on account of insecurity and disaster in parts of the country.
“The challenge is the spontaneous nature in displacement because without warning, you find groups of people displaced.
“IDPs are citizens of Nigeria but displaced from their ancestral home due to insecurity and natural disasters.
“They have freedom of movement and right to work, and that is why government does not like to keep them perpetually on camps.
“So, it is like a struggle with humanitarian work and development, human right and constitutional issues,’’ she said.
Kangiwa expressed concern about security implication of keeping the IDPs and refugees, which further explained why government opposed setting up camps.
She said that security needed to be improved, especially for the IDPs, who could be vulnerable to dangers, having been displaced from their natural homes.
“There are cases of child abuse, child trafficking and militarisation of young people and that is a big security issue,’’ the commissioner said.
Kangiwa listed inadequate funding as a major challenge militating against the operations of the commission.
“Because of the nature of displacement, we are not able to prepare budget accurately and where you make budget, fund requested is not released in accordance to the needs of the commission.
“Last year, the commission got N70 million for protection, care and maintenance of over one million IDPs.
“In this year’s budget, only N32 million was approved while the number of IDPs doubled to two million.
“We are constantly struggling to get corporate sponsors to augment funds from government,’’ the commissioner said.
She explained that the NCRMIDP had been advocating for corporate assistance to resettle IDP families.
The resettlement, according to her, includes six months’ house rent, one year health insurance and one off-cash hand-out as empowerment assistant to the family.
“With N200,000, a family of five children can be resettled and they do not have to remain in the camp any further.
“If we have the fund, we will be able to resettle half of those we have in the camp now,’’ Kangiwa said.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.