The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has decried the deplorable conditions at the Ramin Kura Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in Sokoto North Local Government Area of Sokoto State, calling for urgent government intervention.
Obi made the call after visiting the camp on Monday, September 29, during his two-day visit to Sokoto State, where he held consultations with various groups on insecurity, out-of-school children, poverty, youth unemployment, drug abuse and other challenges confronting residents.
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The former Anambra State governor said he was particularly distressed by the conditions of more than 1,000 displaced Nigerians currently taking refuge in the camp.
According to him, some of the displaced persons are crammed into makeshift shelters and thatched rooms, with as many as 10 people occupying a single room.
Obi also lamented the lack of adequate toilet facilities, a primary healthcare centre and a basic school for children living in the camp.
“I have always insisted that as long as even one Nigerian lives in an IDP camp, we are all internally displaced,” Obi said.
He urged the government to improve conditions in IDP camps while urgently addressing the security challenges that forced residents to flee their ancestral homes.
“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,” he said.
Obi said the Sokoto visit marked his 12th visit to IDP camps across Nigeria, adding that he would continue to support displaced Nigerians.
“This is my 12th visit to IDP camps across Nigeria, and, just like in the others, I am committing to continuously supporting these Nigerians for as long as it takes,” he said.
The former governor also renewed his call for Nigerian leaders to spend their holidays within the country, arguing that such visits would expose them to the realities faced by vulnerable citizens.
“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,” he said.
Obi attributed the worsening vulnerability of displaced Nigerians to what he described as the failure of government to prioritise critical areas of development.
He consequently called on the government and relevant agencies to urgently intervene in the Sokoto camp and address the immediate needs of its residents.
