The presidential candidate of National Democratic Congress, NDC in the 2027 election, Peter Obi, has decried the condition of displaced people living in Ramin Kura Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Sokoto State.
Peter Obi visited the IDP camp after holding town hall meetings and consultations with various groups in Sokoto State on his 2027 presidential ambition.
The NDC presidential candidate, in a post on his social media platforms on Wednesday, said his discussions with various groups centred on insecurity, the high number of out-of-school children, endemic poverty, youth unemployment, drug prevalence and other challenges facing residents in that part of the country.
The presidential candidate who is also a former governor of Anambra State said final engagement in Sokoto was a visit to the Ramin Kura IDP Camp within the Sokoto metropolis.
He noted that the camp currently houses over 1,000 internally displaced persons.
‘During my tour of the facility, I found it particularly distressing to see Nigerians crammed into makeshift shelters and thatched rooms, with some rooms housing as many as 10 persons,’ Obi stated.
According to him, the camp also lacks adequate toilet facilities, a primary healthcare centre and even a basic school for the children.
Obi reiterated the need to tackle the root causes of displacement while making the IDP camps conducive.
‘I have always insisted that as long as even one Nigerian lives in an IDP camp, we are all internally displaced. 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.’
He disclosed that the Sokoto visit marked his 12th to IDP camps across Nigeria and reaffirmed his commitment to continuously supporting the affected Nigerians ‘for as long as it takes.’
Obi further urged political office holders to holiday within the country so 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 called on the government and relevant agencies to immediately look into the plight of the citizens and address their pressing needs.