₦airaland Forum

Online accommodation platform Airbnb has said it will temporarily house 20,000 Afghan refugees at no charge to help them resettle across the world.

The company's boss said the move was in response to "one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time".

He said the firm felt a responsibility to step up.

Chief executive Brian Chesky added: "I hope this inspires other business leaders to do the same. There's no time to waste."

"As tens of thousands of Afghan refugees resettle around the world, where they stay will be the first chapter in their new lives. For these 20,000 refugees, my hope is that the Airbnb community will provide them with not only a safe place to rest and start over, but also a warm welcome home," he said.

The offer starts immediately and the company said it was working with non-governmental organisations "on the ground" to help with the most pressing needs.

It has not specified how much the company plans to spend on the initiative or how long refugees will be housed for.

But it said it would collaborate with resettlement agencies and partners "to go where the need goes" and evolve the initiative and its support as necessary.

"Starting today, Airbnb will begin housing 20,000 Afghan refugees globally for free," Mr Chesky tweeted on Tuesday.

"While we will be paying for these stays, we could not do this without the generosity of our hosts."

The company said the cost of the stays would be funded through contributions from Airbnb and Mr Chesky, as well as donors to the Airbnb.org Refugee Fund.

He said: "The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the US and elsewhere is one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time."

Airbnb said it would release more details soon about how people might help.

The company said: "We know that Airbnb hosts and guests around the world will be eager to stand up and assist this massive effort - and in the coming days, Airbnb and Airbnb.org plan to share details on how hosts and the broader community can support this initiative."

Property owners who host Airbnb locations have long been encouraged to donate stays at their homes for "people in crisis".

The scheme began in response to Hurricane Sandy in 2012, when more than 1,000 people needed emergency accommodation after New York city was hit.

Since then, it claims to have helped more than 75,000 people.

The company launched its Open Homes initiative in 2017 to allow its host community to offer their homes for free to people hit by disasters or fleeing conflict.

The initiative has since offered free stays to people affected by the Mexico City earthquake, Californian wildfires, Australian bushfires and other disasters.

It also led to the company setting up its own independent non-profit, Airbnb.org, to focus on helping people share housing and resources with each other in times of crisis.

Last week, it gave emergency funding and support to the International Rescue Committee, HIAS and Church World Service to provide temporary stays for up to 1,000 arriving Afghan refugees.

During the last weekend, it placed 165 refugees in safe housing shortly after touching down in the US.

"Accessible housing is urgently needed and essential," said David Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee.

Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has insisted that his comment that a candidate with questionable NECO certificate should not be allowed to govern Anambra State was in order.

Soludo was reacting to a challenge posed to him by the governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, who recently challenged him to a public debate.

In a press Statement by the former CBN governor which was signed on his behalf by his media aide, Mr Joe Anatune and made available to DAILY POST, Soludo said he was fully prepared for the governorship contest, including any debate and presentation of manifesto.

Soludo, however, said even though he was ready for any governorship debate, he would not be part of a compromised one organized and funded by Senator Ubah.

“Our attention has been drawn to a statement by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah of the YPP, challenging Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo to provide his manifesto within 48 hours and a public debate within 7 days of presentation of his manifesto.

“In the said statement, Prof Soludo was also accused of making disruptive comment to the effect that WAEC certificate holders cannot govern Anambra State.

“We are amused and surprised that Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, the YPP candidate in the November Anambra gubernatorial election is exhibiting so soon ominous signs of a man in a panic mode even when the gubernatorial election is still few months away.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Prof Soludo is fully prepared and ready for any public debate in regard to the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State. However, as a man of honour, he will not succumb or be coerced into a hasty debate not organised by a credible organisation/institution and also not wholly supported by the people of Anambra State.

“In this regard, we consider this invitation as the usual charade of politicians seeking every available medium to court public attention. We therefore see the entire statement as self-serving and an act of unnecessary showmanship and brigandage which are not part of the culture of Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo.

On whether Soludo made derogatory statements about School Certificate holders, Anatune said: “It is also pertinent, to state categorically, that Prof Soludo’s statement bordering on the issue of WAEC was not meant to disparage or denigrate anyone.

“He merely spoke on the need of Ndi Anambra to be vigilant by upholding the culture of excellence which the state is known for; and avoid those parading questionable school certificates in their desperate quest to become Governor of Anambra State.

“It is also important to emphasis that the issue is about ” lowering the Anambra standard” as the State does not operate on a minimum standard. Anambra prides itself as the frontline state that has produced some of the best brains and educationally sound administrators cum politicians in the country.

“The likes of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr Alex Ekwueme, Dr Chinwoke Mbadinuju, Dr Chris Ngige, Mr Peter Obi, including our current governor, Chief Willie Obiano are all products of sound educational background which have become the acceptable trend in the state.

“Our founding fathers who built the fastest growing economy in the world 60 years ago were also all best educated individuals. Sixty years after, we can’t go down to being governed by people with questionable NECO.

“Changing the subject by pointing to successful business men who are not necessarily University graduates but would employ graduates to run their businesses still point to the fact that solid and sound educational background remain an important prerequisite in any given endeavours.

“There is no successful businessman today whose General Manager is a NECO holder or any of the global players whose business is run by secondary school graduate. Moreover, there is no society that want to develop or that is already developed that was governed or is being governed by a secondary school holder. Those who have questionable certificates have every reason to be apprehensive as the long arm of the law would come knocking soon,” Anatune said.