Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku has pleaded with international donor agencies to assist Taraba State in tackling refugee problems the state is contending with.
Governor Ishaku made the plea during an interactive session with a United Nations delegation led by its Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Edward Kallon.
Ishaku informed the group that the crisis in Cameroun had forced a refugee population of over 15,000 on Taraba State.
Taraba State shares a border with Cameroun.
The refugee problem, he said, has complicated the burden being borne by the state arising from Internally Displaced Persons, a fallout of the Boko Haram Insurgency in the North-East part of the country.
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Governor Ishaku also requested other agencies of the UN to assist the state in the areas of housing and shelter, a problem that a rapidly growing population has created.
He said the state was doing its utmost best to resettle and rehabilitate those that were displaced by the crisis in Southern Taraba, particularly in Chonku and Asa, adding that security was also being beefed up in those areas to encourage those who fled as a result of the crisis to return.
He listed tourism, agriculture, and security as critical areas where the state would need the assistance of the UN agencies.
Ishaku also used the opportunity to brief the UN officials on the achievements of his administration. He said women and youth empowerment has been a critical area of focus for the administration and noted that thousands of people have benefitted from the programme.
In a paper presented during the session, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Edward Kallon said a UNDP-UNWOMEN-FAO inter-agency project supported by the UN Peace Building Fund was already going on in Taraba, Benue, and Nasarawa states. “It is in support of a harmonious and peaceful relationship between farmers and herders”. He said the intervention would promote dialogue and proactive engagement for the mutual economic benefit of the two groups.
He said the UN would also support the Taraba State government to minimize post-harvest losses through public-private partnerships and investments.
Kallon also used the occasion to remind state governments in Nigeria that COVID-19 would remain a major health challenge until the vaccine was found and urged them to take responsibility and lead by example that would help in containing the virus.
