Borno 7-Year Long IDPs In Bauchi Cries for Place of Abode

From; Mohammed Kawu, Bauchi 

No fewer than 500 internally displaced persons (IDPS) from Dambua, Mafa, Ngala, Jere, Dikwa and Matte in Borno state, now taking refuge at Rundei village in Bauchi Local Government Area of the state have appealed to both the federal and state governments to come to their rescue.
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The IDPs who took shelter at the Bauchi LGA village have been taking refuge for the past seven years in thatched structures, called on the governments to provide them piece of land on which to build temporary places of abode.

“For the past seven years or so, we have been hosting the refugees displaced from Borno state as a result of insurgent activities. Here in this village they rends farmlands on which they erect thatch roofs and rooms which lasts for only one year as shelter, meaning each and every year they pay for ground rent”, Rundei ward head, Baba Bulama Musa recalled.

The ward head at the inauguration of the elected officials of IDPs Rundei village chapter of the Kendai IDPs Association of Nigeria, Sunday called on the Bauchi state government to provide the association members at Rundei with permanent place of abode, portable water, health clinics, and school for their children 

Baba Bulama cries out, “For the seven-year period of taking refuge here, the IDPs have been taking refuge on rented farmlands, using ponds to fetch drinking water, lacks clinic to address their health-related problems, while our children lacks formal school, besides other much-needed social amenities for livilihood”.

Speaking at the occasion, the Bauchi State Deputy Coordinator with the National Directorate for Employment (NDE), Alh. Jamilu Adamu assured the IDPs of his directorate’s support and assistance especially in skills acquisition training for self-reliance.

The Deputy Coordinator explained that the directorate conducts periodic training for Nigerians aged between 18 – 40 years, saying however that NDE has since graduated it’s training registration from analogue to online, and called on the IDPs association to ensure its members register online for the training.

Alh. Jamilu Adamu while revealing that the directorate’s ongoing training would come to an end in next thirty days which batch, he recalled, 15, 000 registered online, but only 1, 080 were enrolled, while on the national level, over 490, 000 registered with only 41, 000 enrolled.

Adamu further explained that the directorate undertake the skills acquisition training in collaboration with the North East Development Commission (NEDC) which usually provides starter-packs and other logistics support for the trained citizens to become productive members of the society.

The National Chairman of the Kendai IDPs Association of Nigeria, Alh. Kaka Madu Abba urged the village leaders of the body to ensure effective implementation of its policies, especially in seeing that whatever is meant for members from government, private and corporate bodies, as well as individuals justifiably reach them.

Alhaji Kaka Abba who sworn-in the village executives of the association also urged them to live in peace and harmony with their host community, as the village chapter chairman, Mal. Muhammed Hussaini assured of justifying the confidence reposed in them, and thanked members for bringing up the elected on board.

The five inaugurated village officials of the association are Muhammed Hussaini as chairman, Abubakar Musa emerged as vice chairman, the post of secretary went to Abdulkadir Jidda, with Dahiru Ibrahim as the treasurer, and A’isha Kamfut took the seat of women leader.