50,000 Nigerians refugees in Cameroun, Chad, others —FG

Federal Commissioner for Refugees in National Commission for Refugees Migrants and internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria, Hadiza Kangiwa Sani, yesterday revealed that there are approximately 50,000 Nigerians residing as refugees in Nigeria, Cameroun, Chad and beyond as a result of the conflict in the North-East.

Hadiza, who gave this revelation during a press conference yesterday in Abuja in commemoration of the World Refugee Day in collaboration with the United Nations High Commission Refugee (UNHCR), said the Government of Nigeria as signatory to both the 1951 UN Convention on Refuges and its 1967 protocol as well as the 1969 OAU convention continues to be committed to the principles of International Protection towards refugees and asylum seekers.

She further explained that recognising the increasing similarities in the migratory processes for refugees and migrants and the growing difficulty in separating between forced and economy growth, the government of Nigeria had come up with the National Migration Policy.

“The policy was recently passed with the aim of addressing the many challenges of migration while hoping to harness other positive aspects of migration to develop,” she said.

The commissioner, however, explained that the programme with the theme “Displaced persons ordinary people living through extraordinary times” was celebrated to eliminate all the horrific violence from the countries and community, being the main reason of people’s displacement and formation of refugee.

“The World Refugee Day is celebrated to remind people about the urgent need to resolve conflicts which forced lots of families to leave their homes and go to another place to save their life.” “The courage and strength of refugees and displaced persons is an inspiration to all of us.

That is why again today we are gathered to express our solidarity to the displaced of this world on the occasion of the World Refugee Day,” she said.