By Kolawole Ojebisi
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has explained why its administration will soon put an end to the operations of camp overseeing the welfare of internally displaced persons in the Maiduguri, the state capital.
Zulum said the planned closure will take effect in the next few weeks. The governor made the announcement during an early morning visit to the camp on Monday.
He maintained that the decision to shut down Muna camp was in line with his administration’s ongoing efforts to help the deracinated people in the state live their normal lives again.
Recall that Muna was established at the height of the insecurity in the North, which turned Borno to one of the hotspots of banditry.
The humanitarian crisis left about 10,000 homeless, prompting the establishment of the IDP camp.
.Meanwhile speaking on his government’s move to end the camp, Zulum said that, “About 75 percent of the residents had already been resettled” assuring the remaining inhabitants that the government “would provide support to improve their means of livelihood as they prepare to return to their communities”.
He noted that the closure of the camp would mark another significant step in the state’s transition from “emergency humanitarian response to long-term recovery and resettlement”
Zulum’s move is in fulfilment of its promise to close all IDP camps in the state capital.
The governor has has largely achieved this goal with the closure of more than 12 camps already
