FG earmarks N3trillion for IDPs, refugees resettlement housing scheme

The Federal Government has said that three trillion naira has been set aside in the 2024 budget for the building of one million shelters as resettlement homes for Internally Displaced Persons, (IDPs), across the country.

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, made this known while on an inspection tour of just completed and samples the houses houses, at the Idu IDPs camp in Abuja

She said “Government intends to build a million shelter across Nigeria for poor, internally displaced persons and refugees which invariably translate to providing shelter to about 5 million Nigerians.

“Each of this shelter were budgeted at 3million to get them completed and off course this is partly reflected in our budget for 2024, and if you recall the federal government had just approved the humanitarian trust fund which has 30 percent donation from the government and the remaining 70 percent are from the private sector and donor agencies, development partners and philanthropic individuals amongst others.”

She said the samples were quickly constructed with the sum of ten million naira under 10 days utilizing members of the IDPs community as laboures to show how the project will look like when completed.

“We have to immediately carry out sample of what this shelters will look like so we have 2 of them, one is one bedroom and the second one is two bedroom but they are both samples and these samples are built by the local people in the community for themselves and at the same time is very cost effective and the building was built under 3 million naira and it was built in 10 days.

“What is also interesting about it is that we want to introduce the solar system so that this shelter for the poor vulnerable, refugees, for internally displaced persons are not dependent on the national grid but can at least use the solar system to take care of the basic electrical needs such as lights, charging of phones and basic ironing.

“So we are here to inspect and officially take over the one bedroom and two bedroom that had been built as samples for the shelter program under the ministry of humanitarian Affairs and poverty Alleviation.

“Remember that we are dealing with multi dimensional poverty, and parts of the dimensions is the fact that the people do not have a proper shelter over their heads.

“We went to Benue and we saw millions of people who had been displaced and are staying in a shelter that is very tight. A family of six or five living in that little water proof house and when it rains, it rains on them, when the sun comes down it shun on them and the little children which is totally unacceptable and that’s why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said that we should help this communities and build dignified homes that are built by themselves.

“This is not going to be built by a contractor, it’s the community that is going to build them by themselves and that way, they’ll be empowered, we are training the young people on building skills to be part of it, we also give them the dignity of building the house they will live in, this is what will give the community that ownership of the project, by so doing they’ll not vandalize it or destroy it ” she adds.

Dr. Edu also revealed that the project ground breaking has been done in Benue state.

“As we speak they have completed the clearing of about 10 hectares provided for the building of the 40 houses.

“The bore hole that will supply water to the building is ongoing, there after the setting and laying of foundation for the building.”