UN RESIDENT COORDINATOR VISITS SOUTHERN CAMEROONS
UN Resident Coordinator visits Southern Cameroonians.
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator visits Southern Cameroonians refugee. On Tuesday 6th of September 2022, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Mr Matthias Schmale and the Head of Sub office of UNHCR in Ogoja, Mr Tesfaye Bekele met with Southern Cameroonians refugees in Calabar to assess their challenges and needs in order to seek solutions. The following day, they made a courtesy call to the AYIESRUD farm (meanwhile the AYIESRUD farm project is an advocacy project put together by the refugees in that settle ment )site in Bacoco village in the outskirts of Calabar under a heavy escort of the Nigerian police officers. In their entourage was Mr Richard Ballentine of UNHCR, Mr innocent Efoghe of the National Commission For Refugees and a host of other UNHCR technical partners. While in the farm, the chairman of AYIESRUD Mr Simon Fuh Ngwa presented the challenges they face in carrying out their farming activities prominent among which are, the lack of farm implements and inputs, the need for an irrigation mechanism to enable them carry out their farming activities during the dry season and resources to pay for the annual rent of the land which spans over five hectares.
In response, the UN officials expressed satisfaction and applauded them for their industriousness and assured them of their financial and material support.Thereafter, the UN delegation was shown some fish ponds and additional five hectares of farmland as well as an uncompleted building which the chief of Bacoco offered as his own support to the refugees to use for accommodation. The UN delegation equally thanked him for that wonderful gesture and promised to provide the resources to get the projects functioning. Before leaving Bacoco, the UN Resident Coordinator assured the refugees and the host community that he will use his good office to ensure the projects take off as soon as possible. He equally promised to repair the solar propelled community water system that has been out of use for several years to ensure the community has access to potable water.
