IDPs Relocation: Benue Working Hard To Meet International Standard, BICD DG Leo Says

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

Thousands of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs in Benue State may have to stay longer in camps as the State Government said it is working hard to meet international standards for relocation.

Director General, Bureau For Cooperation and Development Leo Angelo Viashima who said this during an interraction with newsmen in his office on Monday, noted that though the condition for relocating IDPs to their ancestral homes, is stringent and stiff, stressed that the agency working with international partners is trying g to fulfill the requirements.

Leo said the conditions for returning IDPs is tighter than accessing 1 million dollars.

Said he, “You can’t force them back. Every instrument need to be in place to return them. There are 7 items that must be in place amongst them adequate security, good livelihood, social and economic investment. There is high level collaboration with security agencies and international partners to achieve this. It takes a lot of systemic approach for IDPs to return.

“In the meantime, government has cultivated over 300 hectares of land for 300 IDPs and ask them to set up cooperatives whereby they will get support to farm. UNHCR is also, teaching IDPs to rebuild their own homes” .

The BICD boss said in a bid to tackle the humanitarian crisis in the state, the state Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia has built trust in the international community repositioning Benue State as “a State of interest for United Nations.”

The BICD boss noted that for over 24 years, Benue state was blacklisted in the international community “which is why even though the state suffered the most tragic humanitarian crisis, in 10 years before this government came, it was not projected anywhere.

He said when Governor Alia came on board, he established the BIDC to bring visibility of the humanitarian crisis to the international community.

“BICD was set up as an agency of government in the Governor’s office as the Governor’s eye, to support agencies of government to interface better with the international agencies. If an International agency is to deal with the Ministry of Health and there is a bottleneck, it’s our duty to ensure that bottleneck doesn’t exist so that the agency can have a free hand to operate in the state.”

Viashima emphasized that “until the international community trust you they cannot do business with you even though they want to save lives.” He noted that through the Bureau, Governor Alia has increased global trust of government to the international community.

He stated that the trust building translated to a pronouncement which made Benue a state of interest to the UN, a development that saw the influx of UN agencies responding to humanitarian activities in the state.

According to him, Benue currently has about seven UN footfalls including the International Organization Migration (IOM), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UN Women, UN Habitat, UNICEF, as well as World Health Organization (WHO) World Bank among other ancillary agencies like the UNDP among others who have shown interest.

He stated that the presence of the UN agencies has increased the attention for humanitarian crisis in the state, “we are getting more responses, we don’t have IDPs who are crying for basic things, the only issues we are dealing with now are psychosocial issues, SEMA is not left total with the issues of IDPs alone like in the past but they are working together to address all issues.

“Through the intervention of the UN agencies we now have a better mapping of our IDPs situation. Before now, it’s easy for the government to neglect some IDPs but now they are treated equitably whether they are in Zone A, B or C.”

He also noted while 38 new NGOs have been registered in the state, the presence of UN agencies has led to the employment of 144 Benue indigenes, partnership with indigenous CSOs, patronage for local businesses, increased payee, prevention of capital flight among other benefits.

Viashima applauded the state government for providing a conducive environment for the agencies to operate in the state, pledging that as an agency of government set up as the eyes of the Governor, BICD would continue to support all agencies in the state, both local and international, to interface better and operate freely for the betterment of the vulnerable communities and all citizens as a whole.