NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called on the Federal Government to urgently improve the living conditions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) after visiting a camp in Sokoto State.
Obi made the appeal on Wednesday at the end of his two-day visit to the state, where he met with different groups to discuss insecurity, poverty, youth unemployment, drug abuse and the challenge of out-of-school children.
His final stop was the Ramin Kura IDP Camp in Sokoto North Local Government Area, which is home to more than 1,000 people forced to flee their communities because of insecurity.
Speaking after touring the camp, Obi said what he saw was painful. He said families are living in small makeshift shelters, with some rooms occupied by as many as 10 people. He also noted that the camp has no primary healthcare centre, no basic school for children and not enough toilet facilities.
“I have always insisted that as long as even one Nigerian lives in an IDP camp, we are all internally displaced,” Obi said.
He added, “Therefore, the government of today must work assiduously to make the temporary accommodation for our dear citizens living in these camps comfortable, while ensuring that all the underlying security issues that created these conditions in the first place are resolved, to enable them to return to their ancestral homes.”
Obi said the Sokoto camp is the 12th IDP camp he has visited across the country. He pledged to continue supporting displaced families for as long as necessary.
The former Anambra State governor also repeated his call for Nigerian leaders to spend their holidays within the country.
According to him, “This is why I continue to say that the President’s and political office holders’ holidays must be within Nigeria, so that they can see first-hand the difficulties faced by these fellow Nigerians, whose vulnerability has been worsened by the failure of government to prioritise critical areas of development.”
He urged the Federal Government and relevant agencies to respond quickly to the needs of people living in IDP camps and create the conditions that will allow them to return safely to their communities.
Across Nigeria, thousands of people remain displaced by insurgency, banditry and other forms of violence. Humanitarian agencies have continued to stress the need for better shelter, healthcare, education and security for families living in displacement camps.