2023: FG To Enrol Refugees, IDP Returns Children In Primary Schools


Blessing Bature-Akpakpan, Abuja


The Federal commissioner, National Commission for Refugees Migrants and internally displaced persons has yesterday pledges federal government commitment to ensure the enrollment of all school age refugees, IDP and returnees children to primary school by 2023 and to provide equal opportunities for secondary and tertiary Education.

The Commissioner, NCFRMI, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim made this known on Tuesday during the implementation of the global Compact on refugees (GCR) in Nigeria.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim noted that Nigeria will strengthen the protection environment by ensuring the integrity of the asylum system in line with international legal instruments and freedom of movement for Refugees, IDP and returnees; maintaining it's open-door policy; and promoting legal pathways to durable solutions.

She said, we will ensure all durable solutions for refugees and IDP are effective available and accessible, in consultation with affected populations and host Communities, with particular attention to children, youth, women, the elderly, persons with disa, and other vulnerable groups, adding that Nigeria will reinforce national, state and local capacity to ensure the sustainability of returns local integration.

She Reiterates it's commitment to pursuing regional approaches to addressing force displacement, including through enhance information exchange on security and population movements.

To personalized the pledges, the NCFRMI, the FMHADMSD and the UNHCR have produced roadmap, which will serve as a guide to the implementation of the pledges with appropriate coordination structures and mechanism for follow up, the roadmap lays out concrete next steps and priorities, identifies operational entry points and defines indicator for measuring short and longer term progress in areas such as health, Education, water, sanitation, jobs and livelihood, energy, infrastructure, solutions and protection capacity, she said.

UNHCR Representative to Nigeria, Chansa Kapaya said Nigeria's achievements to show solidarity with displaced persons and affected host communities predates the formal adoption of the global Compact on refugees in 2018, Today, Nigeria has in place a favorable protection environment for refugees and has made progress in terms of localizing and operationalizing the GCR, starting from favourable asylum policy and provision to refugees, IDP and Returnees to affected host communities.

In the same vain, the House of Representatives, committee on IDPs and Refugees, Muhammad Umar Jega commended the UNHCR for all their efforts to fulfil the pledges, adding that their Continued support, collaboration and synergy will help to bring maximum result.