National Commission For Refugees Place Cross River State On A Different Status Due To Refugees Intervention In The State.

National Commission for Refugees place cross river state on a different status due to refugees intervention in the state.

The Cross River State Government has received in audience the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons in a bid to further strengthen humanitarian interventions in the State. The Deputy Governor, Prof. Ivara Esu who received the delegation, harped on the need for a continuous synergy between the State and the Commission for improved refugee welfare.

The Commissioner for International Development Cooperation, Dr. Inyang Asibong, who represented the State Governor, Sen. (Prof.) Ben Ayade, at a debriefing session following a weeklong evaluation exercise on the plight of Refugees in the State, asserted that the State Government is not resting on its oars as it constantly seeks to expand its humanitarian arms.

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Despite its meager allocation, Governor Ben Ayade’s Cross River State currently hosts 40,000 of the total 80,000 (50%) refugees in the country and has continued to make concerted efforts to ensure improved livelihood, safety and security each of these refugees spreading from the hills of Obanliku to the valleys of Bakassi LGAs.

Briefing delegates during the entry meeting with the Deputy Governor earlier, the South-south Zonal Coordinator of the commission, Mr Innocent Efoghe, noted that the hospitality by the State Government to Cameroonian refugees being hosted across the state for the past 8years is very recognized by the Presidency. He also acknowledged the plight of the State for more support following a successful evaluation exercise.

Also present at the debriefing were representatives from NCFRMI, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHADM), Federal Ministry of Health, United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and heads of relevant MDAs in the State.

The office of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons South-south zone was established in 2013 to cover all six states including Cross River.