Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has ordered the closure of all Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Mokwa by the end of June, saying the state government is now focused on giving more lasting solutions to people affected by floods.
While visiting Mokwa to meet with flood victims, Governor Bago said that keeping people in temporary camps for long periods is no longer acceptable.
He said plans are already in place to help the displaced persons move into better housing conditions. He also said that the government will give financial support to help them rent houses while they wait for permanent homes to be built.
“We would not encourage the establishment of more IDP camps in any part of the state. Therefore, the government has concluded plans to close down the Mokwa IDP camps,” the governor stated.
Governor Bago noted that while the federal government will be in charge of building the new resettlement homes, Niger State will take care of providing land and other key services needed for the work to start quickly.
To support this plan, he has instructed the Ministry of Lands and Survey to make land available and provide a Certificate of Occupancy to the federal government. This step is expected to help speed up the building process so that people can move out of camps as soon as possible.
In the short term, Governor Bago announced that the state government will send 10 truckloads each of rice, maize, beans, millet, and sorghum to support the displaced families. These items will help reduce the immediate hardship faced by many who lost their homes in the flood.
He also noted that a special committee, led by Deputy Governor Comrade Yakubu Garba, will handle the fair and open sharing of all relief materials and donations. He assured the people that no one would be left out and that the process would be transparent.
