The UN High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, reported in June 2022 that Nigeria hosts 3.2 million displaced people, including approximately 82,000 refugees, a 9% increase from 2021.
Ms. Chansa Kapaya, UNHCR Representative in Nigeria, in a World Refugee Day statement, had said displacement in Nigeria has been increasing rapidly since 2018, with 500,700 people newly displaced in 2021.
Kapaya added that Nigeria also hosts 6,900 refugees and asylum seekers from Syria, Niger, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Turkey, the Central African Republic, and Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government on Friday distributed starter packs to some IDPs in commemoration of the first National Day for IDPs.
The day is to celebrate the resilience of IDPs and advocate for long-term solutions for them through a collaborative approach between government and society.
The packs were given to beneficiaries based on their areas of expertise, such as tailoring, carpentry, welding, photography, tie and die, and talent hunts, at a ceremony held in the FCT.
Awards were given to both national and international donors, as well as to some MDA executives and the president.
Hajiya Imaan Suleiman, the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, said that the commission would put in place long-term solutions for the reintegration, rehabilitation, and resettlement of displaced people.
“Citizens and residents should assist, recognize that the government could not handle the situation on its own,” She said.
The Commission established the National Day for Internally Displaced Persons in conjunction with the commemoration of the adoption of the African Union COnvention in October 2009.
In his message, President Muhammadu Buhari, reassured his administration’s commitment to the welfare and well-being of all Nigerians at all times.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, President Buhari said “like never before, this year’s celebration has offered us the opportunity as a nation to publicly and symbolically demonstrate our solidarity with our brothers and sisters who have lost their livelihood, their homes and even their loved ones to displacement”.
Also speaking, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq thanked the President for his continuous support and providing the enabling environment for proactive social protection systems for all especially the vulnerable.
