Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno state, has commissioned 582 two-bedroom houses to resettle 1,945 IDP households in Auno community. The resettled IDPs lived for seven years at the NYSC and Mohammed Goni College of Legal and Islamic Studies (MOGOLIS) camps, after declaring them closed by the Governor.
The relocated settled people were displaced by the 12-year Boko Haram insurgency from Bama, Konduga and Damboa Councils. He said the closures of camps and resettlement exercise; are the government’s drive towards safe and dignified resettlement of IDPs across the state.
The houses were built by the Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (MRRR) on Zulum’s approval, while a resettlement committee co-chaired by commissioner for RRR, Mustapha Gubio. The Special Adviser and Sustainable Development, Partnerships and Humanitarian Support, Dr. Mairo Mandara also supervised the allocation of houses and resettlement of IDP returnees to communities.
While presenting letters of allocations to the households, Zulum said: “I directed the Resettlement Committee to work towards moving more displaced persons from IDP camps to dignified homes. He lamented that IDP camps faced so many problems of prostitution, drug abuse and exploitation of humanitarian interventions by people who relocate to camps in the day time. He said the day-time relocation to camps, was mainly to get food rations meant for those with more severe needs.
According to him, the day time IDPs return to their homes at night, leaving the genuine ones with limited food rations. “It’s the main reason of closing the two IDP camps,” he said, noting that the measures were to ensure optimal use of MOGOLIS for academic activities. While briefing the Zulum on the houses with water supply and security, the Commissioner of MRRR, Mustapha Gubio said a total of 4, 967 IDP households were recently resettled in allocated houses in Damasak, Auno, Bama, Konduga communities.
He said some of the IDP households are being resettled in Maiduguri metropolis, Marte and Jere, He said the IDP housing allocations were made to primary school teachers, nurses and security personnel, as they are being considered for their roles in communities. He announced that more resettlement housing projects are ongoing and completed at various stages at Kaleri, Warabe, Chibok, Ngarnam, Damboa, Marte and Dalori.
