The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced plans to repatriate 20,000 Nigerians from Chad and Cameroon.
It stated that in the following two months, 14,000 people will be transported from Cameroon and 6,000 people would be returned from Chad.
There were 21,381 Nigerian refugees in Chad and 120,677 in Cameroon as of December 31 of last year.
Five thousand willing Nigerian refugees from Cameroon were repatriated by the Federal Government to Banki in Borno State last year.
It was discovered that the Federal Government purchased N2 billion worth of food and non-food goods for the refugees’ return package last year.
This was disclosed Wednesday in Abuja during a Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting on the voluntary repatriation of Nigerian refugees by Tijani Ahmed, the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugee, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI).
The majority of the refugees, according to the federal commissioner, were uprooted by the flood in 2022, the Boko Haram situation, the conflicts between farmers and herders, and the present climate change issue.
Ahmed said: “In the Year 2023, the commission spearheaded the repatriation of 5,000 people living in Cameroon to the country.
“We are also arranging to bring back those who are interested in returning because repatriation is voluntary. An agreement has been signed between UNHCR, the Government of Cameroon, and the Federal Government of Nigeria in the area of repatriation of our people from Cameroon.
“We are going to work towards the repatriation of 6,000 Nigerians out of about 21,000 of them in Chad.
“We are looking at returning 3,000 households from Chad, which is about 6,000 people who would be repatriated from Chad to Nigeria. For Cameroon, we have about 14,000 people, but we will profile them because we don’t have to force anybody to return. Arrangements are underway to get them back. Within the next two months, we should have concluded the arrangement on repatriation.”
On the cost implication of the proposed repatriation, he said: “We are yet to determine the cost implication for the repatriation of our people from Chad and Cameroon but already, a committee has been set up to look into that. By the time we get the total bill, the Government of the Federation will intervene.
“Also, the Borno State government and the NCFRMI will work to ensure their smooth repatriation.
“Don’t be deterred by the financial implications. I want to tell you that the Government of Nigeria will do everything humanly possible to ensure that money is provided. They have done that before and I’m sure they will continue to do that.
“Don’t forget that in 2022, about 5,000 Nigerians were repatriated from Cameroon. It was the responsibility of the government and they did that.
“In 2002, we had a very serious flood that made some Nigerians leave the country. Some left for Chad, Cameroon, and other places. The Boko Haram crisis, farmers-herders clashes, and climate change were contributory factors to the displacement.
“No matter the number of the refugees, the government will do everything humanly possible to return those of them that want to return.”
On what the Federal Government would offer the refugees, Ahmed said: “Rehabilitation is ongoing in Banki, and construction of houses is ongoing in Baga by the Borno State government.
“We are arranging with the Borno State government to ensure that they are taken to skills acquisition centres. They will be trained and given start-up packs because the government cannot continue to fend for them for life. That is why we are giving them a durable solution, which includes shelter and start-up packs.”
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Deputy Representative (Protection), Bernadette Muteshi, hailed the Federal Government for taking the lead in the repatriation.
