Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang said on Tuesday that one of the most pressing requirements of the state’s Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) is to be relocated in their ancestral homes.
He also guaranteed that his administration is working around the clock to ensure that IDPs are resettled before the rainy season begins.
Mutfwang made this statement during a courtesy visit to the Government House in Jos, the state capital, by a group from the Chris Oyakhilome Foundation International (COFI).
According to him:
“One of the greatest needs for us now is how to move our people out of the Internally Displaced Persons camps, back to their settlement.
“We are trusting God that before the rains set in, we will be able to move, if not all, a substantial number. That means that we have to provide security, rebuild their homes and give them some economic empowerment so that they can be able to settle back into their communities.
“Truth is, most of our people that have been dislocated, they are not used to begging nor receiving alms, they feel more fulfilled when they are doing something for themselves.
“So, many of them are passing through a mental torture of having to stay in IDP camps.
“We appreciate all the assistance that is coming, but the way our people are wired is that they take pride in labouring with their hands.
“And that is why we are determined by God’s grace to make sure that we facilitate their return to their ancestral homes.
“So this is a kind of cooperation and collaboration we seek to build in the coming days, and see how God will help us to do that.”
cc: Daily Post Ng
