Former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, has lauded the Federal Government and Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, for the ongoing relocation and reintegration of Nigerians displaced by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) attacks who had sought refuge in Cameroon.
Ndume said the resettlement exercise was made possible through a tripartite agreement involving the Federal Government, the Borno State Government and the Government of Cameroon, with the support of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
The agreement, signed in 2017, outlines procedures for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of Nigerian refugees, many of whom fled to Cameroon’s Minawao camp and nearby communities in the wake of prolonged insurgent violence.
In a statement issued over the weekend in Abuja, the senator representing Borno South Senatorial District commended the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Borno State Government for sustaining the initiative and ensuring that displaced persons are returned to their ancestral homes.
“I commend the Federal Government because the tripartite agreement between it, the Borno State Government, the Government of Cameroon and the UNHCR has facilitated the repatriation, resettlement and relocation of Nigerian refugees from Minawao in Cameroon back to Gwoza Local Government Area,” Ndume said.
He also praised the Federal Government for initiating the programme and acknowledged the Borno State Government’s commitment to reintegrating returnees who had spent more than a decade in displacement.
Ndume specifically referenced the resettlement of residents of Wala village in Gwoza Local Government Area.
The former Senate Chief Whip further applauded Governor Zulum for restoring electricity to Gwoza, which had been without power for over 10 years following the destruction of infrastructure by insurgents.
“The restoration of electricity in Gwoza is highly commendable. We lived without power for more than a decade,” Ndume said, noting that the governor had fulfilled a promise made during the installation of the Emir of Bama last year.
The resettlement pact was originally signed in Yaoundé, Cameroon, by a high-level Nigerian delegation led by the then Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. (Rtd.) Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau. Members of the delegation included the then Governor of Borno State and current Vice President, Kashim Shettima.
Governor Zulum, in collaboration with the Federal Government and the UNHCR, continues to intensify efforts to facilitate the return of thousands of Borno indigenes still in Cameroon, as part of broader measures to restore stability and rebuild communities devastated by insurgency.