Buhari: No Makeshift Camp Would Remain Permanent for IDPs in Nigeria

Buhari: No Makeshift Camp Would Remain Permanent for IDPs in Nigeria​

President Muhammadu Buhari today disclosed that the temporary structures built to accommodate over two million Nigerians displaced from their traditional/natural homes occassioned by terrorism and natural incidents would not remain in the settlements permanently.

In this regards, it therefore noted that it was working hard to ensure that these makeshift settlements do not become permanent homes to the displaced persons as seen in other places.

Buhari, who was represented by Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, when he declared open the ongoing Africa Regional Meeting of United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in Abuja, said such forced urbanisation resulting from terrorist attacks have created secondary towns across Africa.

He noted that these secondary towns were in turn putting enormous pressure on city centres across the continent, adding that Nigeria for instance was working hard to take care of the situation.

Buhari said: “Increasing migration into urban areas at a time of resource constraints has resulted in population explosion and shortage of housing, which has pushed people living in cities to locate and build structures in areas vulnerable to natural disasters, causing significant economic and social risks.

 “Closely associated with the challenge of migration is that of forced urbanisation resulting from terrorist attacks.

“Secondary towns, especially in the Sahel zone of Africa, have over the past five years come under tremendous pressure to accommodate citizens who have been forced to flee their villages and homesteads by act of terrorism which has destroyed life and property, exacerbated insecurity and poverty.

“Indeed, millions of people live as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in camps and makeshift shelters scattered around different parts of the continent. The challenge of providing succor and restoring the livelihood of such people is a matter of utmost priority."