Imaan Suleiman, the federal commissioner of the NCFRMI, revealed on Thursday that there are currently more than 3.2 million refugees living in Nigeria.
She claims that the commission has been able to register 84,803 refugees and that 17,334 Nigerians have been able to return home willingly.
At the 42nd State House Ministerial Briefing, which was hosted by the Presidential Communications Team, Suleiman gave a speech.
She added that the commission was constructing five resettlement cities for use by displaced people, highlighting the states where the scheme's pilot phase was being carried out: Bono, Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, Nasarawa, and Edo.
The Federal Commissioner noted that the necessity to construct resettlement cities arose as a result of people losing their homes and means of support due to floods, racial conflicts, and other events that could have an adverse effect on people's well-being.
She claimed that because POCs had three feasible solutions, the proposed resettlement city would require the construction of small cities.
“They can either locally integrate, resettle or they can go back to their homes but sometimes they are unable to go back home and that is why there is need for building of new communities or strengthening the capacity of their host communities.
“We are in the third phase of our resettlement city project but the pilot phase is in Borno State, Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, Nasarawa and Edo State. Most of them are now at between 70-90 percent completion but that of Edo State is about is about to take off. ”
Suleiman revealed that the commission's three main problems are security, an increase in the number of refugees, and funding.
According to her, “the major challenge is security. In managing humanitarian crisis there are areas that we are supposed to reach and we are unable to do so and that is a major problem because even when they are undergoing the crisis, sometimes the places are not secured but they still require support.
“The second challenge is the rising numbers. You will agree with me that we have had an unprecedented humanitarian crisis globally. These things just keep happening and we have to manage the issue regardless. So, I think the rising numbers is also a challenge and we have to find a way of shrinking the numbers as quickly as possible.
“Then thirdly its funding, there is hardly any funds for anything and they required to be able to intervene quickly for these people,” she added.