Zulum and other dignitaries at the ceremony in Tchad
Gov. Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State has led a delegation of government officials from Nigeria to kick start the repatriation of refugees that fled the Boko Haram crises to Baga Sola in Tchad Republic.
A statement from the Government House Press Unit in Maiduguri, said the refugees, mostly from Borno, were displaced for nearly 10 years by the insurgency which affected communities around Lake Chad Basin.
It said the delegation which includes the State Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu, and the Federal Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) was received on Wednesday in Baga Sola by the Governor of Lac Province, Saleh Haggar Tidjani.
According to the statement, the first batch of the repatriation exercise, about 1,768 families comprising 7,790 people will return to Nigeria.
Before launching the first batch of the repatriation, Zulum attended the signing of a tripartite agreement in Baga Sola between the governments of Nigeria, Tchad and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
The minister signed on behalf of Nigeria, the Governor of Lac Province for the Republic of Tchad and Jerome Merlin, Second Rep UNHCR in Baga Sola, signed for the UN refugee agency.
In his address at the signing ceremony, Zulum emphasised that only those that have voluntarily indicated interest in returning will be repatriated.
The governor expressed gratitude to the government of Tchad for hosting thousands of Nigerians displaced by the crises in Borno.
Zulum’s delegation also comprises the Head of Chancery, Nigerian Embassy in N’Djamena, Abdulkadir Ibrahim Ghani, Member of Borno State House of Assembly representing Kukawa, Hon Karta Maina Ma’aji, Commissioners of Information and Local Government Affairs, Prof. Usman Tar, and Sugun Mai Mele and the Permanent Secretary Government House, Mustapha Ali Busuguma.
Meanwhile, the State Minister of Humanitarian and Disaster Management, has commended Zulum for the leadership he has been providing to the people of Borno.
“I want to thank the Executive Governor of Borno State for showing leadership during crises and serving as a role model in terms of complete collaboration with the federal government and for providing all the necessary support,” the minister said.
