The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) has disclosed that Cross River is presently home to 52,000 refugees.
South South Zonal Coordinator of the commission, Innocent Efoghe, disclosed this at a one-day workshop on Global Compact for Refugees (GCR), organised by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in partnership with NCFRMI.
He said the figure would increase with time, adding that the refugees were mostly from Cameroon.
The zonal manager, however, appealed that the refugees should be treated as Nigerians as they had similar rights as Nigerians, except the right to vote and be voted for.
On the workshop, he said, “The Global Compact for Refugees (GCR) has to do with the advancement of partnership for providing services to refugees and their host communities.
“It’s about responsibility sharing. The GCR comes up every four years.”
“In 2019 the Federal Government actually made four major pledges. The first one was to include matters of refugees, IDPs and their host communities in the national development plans.
“The second one was to strengthen the country’s protection capacity, for instance when refugees cross the border into the country, what the Federal Government does is to grant them protection, starting from the process of profiling and registration, and then they are granted protection.
“It also ensures availability and accessibility to durable solutions, and then to sustain Nigeria’s role in regional and subregion efforts in addressing the root causes of displacement.”
Efogh said the government had been doing a lot to see that those pledges were carried out, adding that one of such roles had to do with the inclusion of refugees in the national identification registration exercise.
“Refugees can actually register in the NIN programme. This started about two years back.
“The government also made it possible for refugees to work, do business and move freely within Nigeria. They are allowed to move freely as long as they don’t cross international borders.
“The only thing they cannot do is to vote and be voted for. Every other thing that Nigerians can do, refugees can do it.
“Government has equally assisted refugees in the area of agriculture.
“When we talk of durable solutions and livelihood programmes, the government has carried out a lot of workshops, training and also provided implements for refugees and equally make sure they have access to lands for farming.”
