VSF boss urges IDPs to return home

VSF boss urges IDPs to return home
NAN-HG-2
IDPs
By Lizzy Okoji
Abuja, Oct. 12, 2017 (NAN) Dr Sunday Ochoche, the Executive Director, Victims Support Fund (VSF) has urged Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) across the country to return to their communities following significant improvement of security in the in the North East.
Ochoche made the call on Thursday in Abuja while receiving a donation of relief items from the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) for the IDPs.
According to Ochoche, following the success of the Military in the insurgency affected states of the North East, “we want to speak to our brothers and sisters who are victims of the insurgency and to encourage return.
“The situation was very bad especially in the area of security, there is still much to be done but it has significantly changed and stabilised and people are returning.
“We want to encourage those especially around Abuja and other places that it is time to begin to think of returning’’.
The situation is quickly returning to normalcy and we want to encourage a number of our displaced persons to begin to work towards return.
“We at VSF are working hard to support those who are returning because we know that life in the IDPs camp is not a holiday,” Ochoche said.
Ochoche said that the fund is enhancing its Economic Empowerment Programmes in places where people are already returning to provide support for people to return to their economic activities.
He said that some of its empowerment programmes includes the Women Economic Programme, the Agro Support Programme and the recently inaugurated livestock programme where 800 goats were distributed to 200 families for breeding.
Besides, the executive director said that VSF has reconstructed public institutions and infrastructures in destroyed communities like Bama and Gwoza in Borno and was currently reconstructing Michika and Buni Yadi in Adamawa and Yobe states to cushion the return of social services in the North East.
Ochoche appreciated the Director-General of the NBMA, Mr Rufus Ebegba, for the confidence it has in the VSF to use it as a reliable channel in reaching out to the IDPs.
He assured that the relief items would reach the genuine IDPs.
Earlier, Ebegba said that the items were donated from the contributions of Members of Staff of the agency.
He also appealed to other agencies and individuals to assist IDPs in however little way they could as no single agency can address the enormous needs of the IDPs and the destruction caused by the Book Haram insurgents.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the items donated included 5kg bags of rice, Indomie noodles, Groundnut oil, Spaghetti, maggi, salt, biscuits, tomato paste, detergent, washing soaps, bathing soaps and tissue papers. (NAN)
LIZ/BOLA/MST
Edited by Bola Akingbehin/Muhammad Suleiman Tola