The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has handed over 1,000 houses to the Borno State Government for the return of Ngwom IDP returnees. The houses were completed under President Muhammadu Buhari’s 10,000 housing scheme for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at N2 billion. While handing over the houses Thursday along Dikwa road, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Farouk disclosed: “The return of Ngwom IDP returnees to these houses was to ensure strategic disaster mitigation in the state,” noting that the measures are geared towards social improvement programmes. She added that the resettlements of IDP returnees into communities could ensure the recovery and stabilization of insurgency affected towns and villages.
With the return of over 500 IDP households, the Managing Director of NEDC, Mohammed Alkali also declared the Ngwom community; as a town and not village. Governor Babagana Zulum urged the Minister to facilitate the construction of Ngwom/Zabarmari/Khaddamari and Kukawa/Damasak roads. According to him, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs should establish an agricultural value chain that could fight unemployment and poverty among youths. He added that the number of beneficiaries from the state, be increased into the social national register. On Northeast humanitarian challenges, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Edward Kallon said: “I’m here at a critical milestone in search of a solution to these conflicts in Northeast Nigeria. He said that as he has spent about five years in the country there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Besides, he added: “What we’ve witnessed today (Thursday); is what I’ve described in my memoirs that I have been writing,” noting that there is an improvement in the national leadership and ownership of Nigeria. He said the leadership and ownership of Nigeria have been evolving fast within five years of humanitarian coordination. “When I came to support the efforts of the Government; there were serious challenges in coordinating the response in northeast Nigeria. According to him, the challenges were being overcome by establishing NEDC and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs under the leadership of Alkali and Sadiya. He noted that peace and development could not take place without strong institutions in any country.
