The Benue State Government on Thursday adopted a durable solutions action plan for the effective return of internally displaced persons, IDPs, to their ancestral homes.
Mr Aondowase Kunde, Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, disclosed this in an interaction with newsmen at the end of a stakeholders meeting in Makurdi.
Kunde said the state action plan was adopted and would be launched after further meetings with the United Nations representatives to know the budget for the project.
The commissioner explained that the state needed to have an action plan on how the displaced persons would be returned and the roles each stakeholder would play during the process.
“The State Action Plan indicates the level of displacement and who has been displaced. It shows the hospitals, schools, and all the settlements that have been displaced.
“So we are building the action plan on what each stakeholder will do. This is to find the everlasting solutions to the problems. It would be funded by the government, partners, individuals, etc.,” he said.
Ms Mediatrice Barengayabo, Head, Benue Sub-Office, International Organisation for Migration, IOM, said they remained committed to saving lives and protecting people on the move.
Barengayabo stated they were also committed to making sure that they facilitate and drive solutions for the displaced people to return home where possible.
She pledged that they would support the vision of the state and the action plan to ensure that it takes care of the dignified way of moving or returning the IDPs to their homes
