Nigeria: Nigeria’s Economic council has endorsed a special programme for the alleviation of the plight of displaced persons and their host communities. Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, disclosed this at the end of the meeting of the council chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
According to Voice of Nigeria, Bagudu said the main objective of the programme is to improve access to services and economic opportunities by displaced persons across Nigeria. He stated, “Today at the National Economic Council meeting, which was chaired by His Excellency, the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, a presentation was made on a program called Solutions for the internally displaced and Host communities.” This presentation was made by Hajara Ahmed, the project coordinator of the World Bank-supported program, aiming for long-term solutions rather than emergency responses.
The program’s focus is to enhance access to basic services and economic opportunities for internally displaced persons in affected
communities across Nigeria. Among its clear objectives is the investment in resilient infrastructure and services for both internally displaced persons and their host communities. Bagudu emphasized the importance of state governments appointing focal persons to facilitate the program’s communication and implementation. These focal persons would liaise with the federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, which coordinates the program.
Bagudu highlighted the expectation that states will express interest and assign a focal person in each participating state. This setup will aid in solid communication between states and the federal ministry, ensuring the delivery of the project’s objectives. Moreover, he mentioned that his ministry would leverage the expertise of the North-East Development Commission, which has experience in handling similar programs. “The National North East Development Commission will support the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning within their area of expertise, so that we
can fastrack implementation, as well as support both the project’s steering committee and the technical committee that will be established,” Bagudu added.