The Zamfara Social Protection Platform (ZSPP) has appealed to the state government to appropriate fund in its 2022 budget for welfare of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
ZSPP, a civil society organisation (CSO), in a position paper on Friday in Gusau, stated that the fund would help to address other social protection issues.
The position paper was presented at a town hall meeting on the 2022 budget by the platform’s chairman, Mr. Nasiru Biyabiki.
The meeting titled: “Citizens inputs/Town Hall meeting on the preparation of 2022 budget” is organised by the state Ministry for Budget and Economic Planning in collaboration with UNICEF.
The paper stated that, “Considering the importance attached to this meeting, ZSPP, therefore, finds it imperative to come forward with a presentation of some social protection related pending and emerging issues that we felt need to be given serious attention and consideration in the 2022 budget.
“Some are there for implementation, some taking further necessary action while some for possible inclusion into the 2022 budget.
“There is an urgent need for attaching importance to create mechanism of coming to the IDPs’ aid at an emergency resettlement and rehabilitation centres to be situated at strategic locations across the state. We noticed low and ineffective empowerment mechanisms for the victims of banditry, especially the IDPs.”
In its reaction, the Zamfara state government has stated that the number of IDPs in the state had increased to more than 600,000 people following sustained bandit attacks and kidnapping in different parts of the state.
Governor Bello Matawalle, while speaking at the sideline of the just-concluded United Nations general Assembly, sought international support to address the humanitarian challenge.
(NAN)
