From Olukayode Idowu, Maiduguri
THE United Nations has indicated it’s willingness to assist in resettlement of people displaced by Boko Haram.
The organisation’s expressed it’s readiness on Tuesday in Maiduguri just as Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum said the state would repatriate before the end of the year indigenes that fled at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency into Cameroon.
During her visit to Borno State on Tuesday to assess the resettlement plan of internally displaced persons, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, (UNSDG), Amina Mohammed, said the organisation was ready to work with other stakeholders to see to it that the IDPs have a seamless relocation and resettlement.
She said her visit is to assess what assistance can be delivered by the United Nations.
Mohammed who had earlier in the company of her entourage visited Banki alongside the Borno State Governor, to see some of the IDP camps in the border town, some 190 kilometers from Maiduguri, said what the IDPs have had to face was unpalatable.
She said thousands of the displaced met in the camps visited in Banki showed their willingness to return back to their ancestral homes.
She said: “What we saw in the camps is the worst situation we have seen in the North East region but we also saw opportunities such as developmental plans of the Borno State Government in rebuilding destroyed communities and resettling the people back.”
Responding, Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum said that the United Nations presence and continous support to partners stands as an indication of genuine commitment to see the return of stability to the state and country in general.
He said as government and people, the State will continue to join with the development partners to work for the return of peace and respect for humanity.
He said: “I also want to inform you that peace is gradually returning to Borno State. With the restoration of peace, we have recieved overwhelming requests from our people to return to their places of origin.
“These processes of return have been carefully planned to take into account all the factors such as security, shelter , livelihoods and continuous presence of civil authority to maintain peace in the community.”