ASHENEWS reports that the Niger state government has announced the launch of the state refugee commission.
The Niger state governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago stated this on Monday while flagging off the distribution of relief materials to 700 households donated by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons in Minna.
The development according to the governor was necessitated by the humanitarian crisis in many parts of the state due to insecurity and natural disasters.
The governor equally announced a N500 million take-off fund to kickstart activities at the commission which will operate under the state Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management.
He added that the state government has approved the distribution of 13,000 bags of grains to Internally Displaced Persons across the state.
The Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Tijani Aliyu Ahmed, earlier said that the commission was on a working visit to the state to ascertain the level of humanitarian crisis and work towards bringing succor to the people.
Ahmed said that the commission having tallied nearly 64,000 IDPs in Niger state was working towards establishing resettlement villages for them.
He added that the commission was donating 572 bags of rice, 572 cartons of Spaghetti, 572 bags of Semovita, 144 bags of garri, 96 cartons of Vegetable oil, 91 cartons of seasoning, 58 bags of Salt Lake City, and 1 solar-powered borehole to the IDPs.
