August 18, 2025 – Tanko Sununu, the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, has assured Nigerians that the administration of President Bola Tinubu remains committed to addressing poverty through durable solutions that will empower internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Sununu explained that the government is focused on practical approaches to make displaced persons self-reliant instead of depending solely on palliatives.
“We are working seriously to ensure that some of the durable solutions, which we have started last year, we try to duplicate,” the minister said.
“What is that durable solution? The people in the IDPs. We have had a joint partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Internal Affairs, NALDA, and our commission, National Commission for Refugees, where we are working hand in hand to put a very good understanding between internally displaced persons and their host community.”
According to him, one of the strategies has been the use of farmland offered by host communities, which has allowed displaced persons to engage in farm diversification. He highlighted that this approach has helped many IDPs become actively involved in agriculture while also building peaceful coexistence with host communities.
“I flagged off the harvesting season of the one that was in Plateau State. The Minister, the current Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, when he was in the ministry, he was in Borno and Benue State. When we have said that, what we did is a good sharing formula,” Sununu said.
He explained that the sharing formula allows IDPs to receive both food and cash benefits. “The IDPs will take 30% of it and their food component. The 70% will be uptaken and purchased by government and will be given to the IDP to serve as their cash component. Because if you give them food alone without cash component, it doesn’t make sense. They will sell the food to get other ingredients. So we are giving that.”
The minister stated that the food procured is also distributed to other displaced persons to ensure wider support. He noted that the scheme has developed interest among many IDPs in agriculture, with several of them eager to continue farming activities.
Sununu stressed that the overall plan is to make displaced persons independent, as relying on aid is not sustainable. “So what we are planning now, as soon as we do, we quickly exit them. What we are trying to do and what the global community is teaching now is not for you to keep people and continue to give them palliatives so that they will be palliative dependent. No. Globally, there is cutting, there is gap in terms of funding. So the idea is to make them independent,” he said.
He further described the long-term stay of some individuals in IDP camps as unacceptable. “There are people who have been for the past 8–10 years in IDP camps. That shouldn’t be allowed. That should not be allowed,” he said.
The minister also pointed to the suspension of funding by the United States and other international partners to United Nations agencies as part of the reason why sustainable approaches are now necessary.
According to him, all parties, including the UN, have agreed on the need to create an environment where security agencies can provide safe ground for displaced persons to resettle and thrive.
“What we need fast is to see how to create atmosphere through our security agencies to provide safe staying ground that those people in IDP, we can give them durable solutions that they can stand on their own in terms of farming or any other handwork that they can do to develop their skills. So that they can move out of IDP,” Sununu concluded.