The Federal Government has expressed concern over 400,000 Nigerian refugees stranded in Cameroon, Niger and Chad, as plans are underway to repatriate them.

The Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Alhaji Tijani Ahmed, stated this at the Technical Working Group meeting on Wednesday in Abuja.

Ahmed noted that 3,000 refugees were returned last week through the efforts of the Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, and the technical working group, saying that further repatriation plans are ongoing.

The NCFRMI boss said that the tripartite agreement had been reviewed and the necessary steps for continuation of the repatriation process were being considered.

He acknowledged the role the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees played in the repatriation, saying that discussions were ongoing to ensure the process continued smoothly.

Ahmed further said that the Technical Working Group was reviewing past actions and planning future steps, including seeking government and international partners’ support.

He said that the goal was to ensure that the repatriation exercise became a permanent process in the coming weeks.

The federal commissioner, however, underscored the need for governments’ support and the involvement of key stakeholders, particularly international partners.

“We have not less than 400,000 refugees across these zones – Cameroon, Niger and Chad. 3,000 refugees were returned last week Sunday through the efforts of the governor of Borno.

“We have reviewed the processes here, and then we also try to look at what is required of us to do before the continuation of this repatriation.

“UNHCR is key in this direction because they are the third party in the repatriation exercise assigned through our agreements.

“We hope that in the next few weeks, this repatriation will commence and we will continue the exercise,” he said.

On her part, the UNHCR Deputy Representative, Bernadette Muteshi, expressed the UNHCR’s openness to discussing repatriation, deportation, and the welfare of internally displaced persons.

Muteshi noted that the Technical Working Group aimed to support the governments in ensuring the tripartite agreement was followed and adhered to.

“What will be different this time around is that we are leaning greatly on the governments’ responsibility for leadership and ownership of the process.

“We are here to walk along with both governments to ensure that the contents of the tripartite agreement are followed and adhered to.

“But honestly, it’s really about both governments taking leadership and ownership for their nationals in this particular exercise,” she said.

NAN

The national electricity grid collapsed on Wednesday, leading to a nationwide blackout.

Society Reporters reports that the grid lost power generation some minutes after 11 on Wednesday morning.

At 11 am, hourly power generation was 4064 megawatts but this dropped to 1,203MW at 12 pm and 0.00MW at 1 pm.

This is about the first time the grid will collapse in 2025 after it experienced a line tripping in January.

On its X handle on Wednesday, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, confirmed the development.

“Dear Valued Customer, We regret to inform you that a system disturbance occurred on the national grid at 11:34 am today causing a power outage across our franchise areas.

While gradual restoration of power supply has commenced, please be assured that we are working closely with relevant stakeholders to fully restore electricity as soon as the grid is stabilised. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we work to serve you better,” the post reads.

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