The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Refugee Agency, has called on the Nigerian government and all stakeholders to escalate interventions in ameliorating the plights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria.
The Deputy Regional Manager, UNHCR, Shadi Ghrawi, made the appeal in Abuja at a 2-day workshop for members of Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society, as the society prepares to raise funds for IDPs in Nigeria.
“In Nigeria, there are more than three million IDPs. And UNHCR is working with different partners to provide them with humanitarian support.
“The partnership that we have with the Al-Habibiyyah is a very unique one, which is focusing on raising funds to mobilize resources to provide the internally displaced persons with their immediate needs,” Ghrawi said.
The donor journey workshop for Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society was held sequel to a partnership agreement between the society and the UNHCR, mandating the society to raise funds to support IDPs in the country.
“In this MoU, the society is poised to raise N500 million.
“We are targeting like N500 million for this programme annually.
“So, in order to strengthen our efforts in mobilizing funds, we organized this training with them to gain from their over 17 years’ experience of raising funds of this nature.
“The UNHCR offered to train us to build our capacity on what we know how to do best so that we can do it better, even after our agreement expired,” said the National Chief Imam Fuad Adeyemi.
The cleric said the funds would be raised through Zakat (alms giving), government agencies and other organizations that are willing to donate to support the IDPs.
“It is not about religion this time around; it is about humanity, and that is why we will reach out to big conglomerates, big organizations to support us,” he said.
About Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society:
Al-Habibiyyah is a faith-based organization in Nigeria whose mandate includes the propagation of Islam in Nigeria and beyond, Islamic & secular education, inter-religious dialogue and provision of social services, such as health care, education & welfare assistance to people in need as well as the advancement of Islamic culture in all facets of human activities.
Al-Habibbiyyah collaborates with fellow Muslims, Islamic organizations, and other refutable impact-making organizations whose vision and mandate match theirs to deliver interventions that promote the well-being of the people and human dignity.
About UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency:
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leads international action to protect people forced to flee because of conflict and persecution. We deliver life-saving assistance like shelter, food and water; help safeguard fundamental human rights; and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home, where they can build a better future.
Since its formation by the United Nations General Assembly in 1951, the UNHCR has helped millions of forcibly displaced people restart their lives and has received the Nobel Peace Prize twice.
In line with its global mandate, the UNHCR in Nigeria works to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees and asylum-seekers, refugee returnees, internally displaced people (IDPs), and stateless men, women and children.
