A former Imo North Senator, Frank Ibezim, has dismissed speculation that there are plans to resettle internally displaced persons and migrants in the state.
Ibezim said this in a statement made available to newsmen in Owerri, on Monday.
Ibezim who was reacting to a viral video claiming that migrants would soon be settled in Imo by the state government said that the video of refugees attached to a TVC broadcast in which he was interviewed, was not filmed in Imo.
“ I am compelled by our joint sense of purpose and commitment to address some misinformation arising from the TVC news coverage of my recent visit to the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Nsu Study Centre.
“ I was accompanied by the Federal Commissioner for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally
Displaced Persons, and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation “, he said.
He dismissed the insinuation that there is intent to settle IDPs, refugees, or migrant persons at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Nsu study centre as “entirely
false”.
He said that NOUN Nsu study centre is a federal, multi-disciplinary educational institution, open to qualified applicants from across Nigeria and beyond, just like all other federal institutions in the country.
He added that facilities at NOUN Nsu centre are already in use, with over 200 students enrolled since its commencement in October 2023, with intake ongoing.
“ Our visit was for two federal agencies to assess these facilities to determine if they could be used for training in specialized skills, following our request to utilize the already built incubation center.
“ This is the third agency of government (Michael Okpara University and the Biotechnology Agency, prior), to undertake this assessment and adaptability visit for the purpose of evaluating the facilities for training.
“ We believe that if the training facilities meet their requirements, we would be pleased to have these agencies collaborate with NOUN Nsu to train qualifying candidates.
According to him, although the visiting agency’s name includes “refugees,” this does not encompass their full mandate as they also work to equip communities with necessary skills through integrative programs.
He added that the agency is not seeking to resettle or relocate any refugees but rather to use the existing facilities to train eligible individuals from time to time.
“ It is crucial for the government to focus on utilising existing government infrastructure completed in the last administration instead of constructing new ones, especially in the face of scarce resources and the hardships faced by our citizens.
“ For emphasis, I must restate that there are no plans to settle IDPs, refugees or migrant persons at the National Open University Centre, Nsu, Ehime Mbano LGA.
“ Any such claim is categorically false and I will never be part of such a plan. The plan is for skills training for our vulnerable young people from the South East “, he said.
He called on all well-meaning citizens to put hands on deck in the efforts to synergise with the government to facilitate human development, progress and opportunities for the teeming youth population and the less privileged.
Meanwhile, the state’s Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Hon. Declan Emelumba, in a release on Monday, described the speculation as false and a handiwork of enemies of the state.
Emelumba said that the viral video was a grand design orchestrated by mischief makers to unleash another wave of insecurity in Imo state.
He urged the security agencies to wade into this wave of incitement of the people against the government before it escalated into an ethnic conflagration.
