The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Muhammed Matawalle, has assured the Representative of the United Nations that the Federal Government is working out modalities to resettle returnees and the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to safe and better living conditions.
The Minister gave this assurance when the Representative of United Nations Mines Action Services, UNMAS, paid him a courtesy visit on Tuesday, 24th October 2023, in Abuja.
Matawalle said that Federal Government would partner with UNMAS in working out a workable solution in reintegrating IDPs and farmers into society for better life.
“We need to redesign action plan for the IDP returnees and farmers to go back to their farms,” he said.
According to him, there was a need for the Federal Government to provide essential technical support for the establishment of a national mine action centre in the North East and extend it to the North West, where incidence of insurgency has increased.
“Such center will afford the IDPs the opportunity to return to their communities and have access to quality education,” he noted.
The Representative of the United Nations Mines Action Services to Nigeria, Edwin Faigmane, said UNMAS will collaborate with the Nigerian Army to ensure the success of Mines Action Services Operations in Nigeria.
Furthermore, he stated that there was need to conduct Technical Surveys to identify hazardous areas that need to be safe before any other activities could take place
