THE Lagos State government has opened a transit camp to aid the rehabilitation and reintegration of migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
The camp is situated within the Lagos State Relief and Resettlement Camp in the Igando, Alimosho area of the state.
The camp is a collaboration between the European Union (EU), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).
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The EU is funding the project, which is being implemented by the IOM and managed by LASEMA.
Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations Tayo Bamgbose-Martins who represented governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the IOM and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants Internally Displaced Persons (NCFMRI) asked to use some of the facilities at the Relief Camp for the transit centre.
The IOM would also provide services and enhance existing facilities.
The Lagos State government also announced plans to establish a third relief camp in the Ibeju-Lekki axis of the state as part of measures to make the reintegration of migrants and IDPs easier.
The Federal Commissioner NCFMRI Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahime explained that the transit centre was the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa and marked a new chapter in the care of displaced persons.
“In addition to the laudable renovation done by IOM and a needs assessment, the Commission pledges to install two 5,000-litre water reservoirs to ensure continuous water supply to the hostels where our Persons of Concern (PoCs) would reside, as well as the installation of five solar-powered streetlights to ensure 24-hour visibility around the premises,” she said.
Suleiman-Ibrahim thanked the Lagos State government for being a ready partner in managing migration and helping PoCs to the Commission.
The transit centre can hold 400 persons at a time. Displaced persons can stay in the centre for a period of two to 12 nights.
A reporter with the ICIR
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