A transit camp to aid the rehabilitation and reintegration of migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) was opened at the weekend in Lagos State.
It is situated on the premises of the Lagos State Relief and Resettlement Camp in Igando.
The camp is funded by the European Union (EU), implemented by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and will be managed by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented at the event by the Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Tayo Bamgbose-Martins, noted that the IOM and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFMRI), requested to use some of the facilities at the relief camp for the transit centre, while the IOM would provide services and upgrade facilities.
He said plans were on to establish a third relief camp in Ibeju-Lekki as part of measures to make the reintegration of migrants and IDPs easier.
Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim described the transit centre as the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa, saying it marked a new chapter in the care of the displaced.
LASEMA Director-General Femi Oke-Osanyintolu said the transit centre would reinforce IOM’s and Nigeria’s capacity to help the most vulnerable, as well as help to press home the message on the dangers of irregular migration.
The centre has the capacity to accommodate 400 people at once, to stay for between two and 12 nights.
