TheCable

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says it will partner with states in the north-east to build houses for 3.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the region.

Laurent De Boeck, chief of the IOM mission in Nigeria, spoke on Wednesday during a news conference on the housing design competition awards held in Abuja.

The competition was organised by IOM and funded by the Nigerian Humanitarian Fund (NHF).

De Boeck said the programme was adopted to engage domestic and foreign design communities in developing housing solutions for IDPs and other vulnerable persons in the north-east.

He said IOM is determined to address the accommodation emergency in Nigeria through the provision of sustainable housing strategies.

“Home after crisis design competition presents the changes we are trying to bring in the way we operate to those in need of protection through shelter, but what we want to change is the concept,” NAN quoted De Boeck as saying.

“The country has faced a humanitarian situation in the past decade, particularly the north-east but what we actually want to do in the north-east can be replicated all over the country.

“We have worked with the government in the north-east in responding to the crisis of those non-state armed groups, in the huge displacement of more than 3.3 million people, as well as with the state government.

“Particularly in Adamawa and Yobe in finding solutions for those people facing emergency situations, what we see in progress is the fact that we have to change our approach.

“We have operated a response through camps-like settings; we have worked with the community for them to be welcomed for a period of transition until they can find a durable solution.

“We believe after years of work jointly with the government at the federal-state levels, we can come to a juncture; we can change our approach of moving to the provision of shelter to building back to the people a home.”

De Beock added that over 23 million people in Nigeria need a home.

He called on stakeholders to take urgent action to address the housing crisis in the north-east.