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| President Goodluck Jonathan |
THE United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Mrs. Angele Dikongue-Atangana, said
Nigeria recorded a 50 per cent drop in the number refugees in the country in the last five months.
Dikongue-Atangana, who stated this during a meeting with the Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Olajumoke Akinjide, explained that there were currently 5,000 refugees in the country compared with the figure of 10,000 as at June 30, 2012.
She said: “The United Nations (UN) will be sending a mission to Nigeria to assist the country in catering for the displaced persons. We had about 10,000 refugees from Chad, Liberia and other African countries in Nigeria as at June 30, 2012. The number of refugees currently in Nigeria is 5,000 as about 5,000 mostly Liberians have returned to their countries.
“The UN will be working with the Federal Government, State Government, Federal Capital Territory Administration and National Emergency Management Agency in providing for the refugees and internally displaced persons as well as emergency management.”
Dikongue-Atangana further noted that the UNHCR would collaborate with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) towards building capacity in the area of emergency management and providing relieves for internally displaced persons.
“As you are aware the headquarters of ECOWAS is in Nigeria. We shall be collaborating with ECOWAS to build capacity in the area of emergency response and also policy making with regard to internally displaced persons.
“One good example of this collaboration is the Kampala Convention which was adopted in 2009. Nigeria ratified the Convention in May this year, so we will be working to domesticate and implement the Convention closely with ECOWAS,” the UNHCR said.
Culled from The Guardian
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