The presidenti al candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi, has called for urgent government intervention at the Ramin Kura Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in Sokoto State, where he said more than 1,000 displaced Nigerians are living in difficult conditions.
Obi made the call in a post yesterday on his X handle after visiting the camp in Sokoto North Local Government Area on Tuesday, during a two-day engagement in the state.
The former Anambra State governor said he was distressed by the conditions he encountered, including families living in makeshift shelters and thatched rooms, with some rooms accommodating as many as 10 people.
He also identified inadequate toilet facilities, the absence of a primary healthcare centre and the lack of a basic school for children among the challenges confronting residents.
‘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 Federal Government and relevant agencies to improve the welfare of displaced persons while addressing the security challenges that forced them from their communities.
‘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 said.
Obi said his visit to Ramin Kura was his 12th visit to an IDP camp across the country and pledged to continue supporting displaced Nigerians.
He also urged political office holders to spend their holidays within Nigeria to gain first-hand knowledge of the challenges confronting 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 said his Sokoto engagements included consultations with various groups on insecurity, out-of-school children, poverty, youth unemployment, drug prevalence and other challenges affecting residents.
He urged the government to urgently address the needs of people living at the camp.
‘Let me seize this opportunity to again call on the government and the relevant agencies to immediately look into the plight of these citizens and address their pressing needs,’ he said.