Leadership of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Monday called on organizations and individuals to refrain from making money from their plights.
They made the call on the side lines of a Roundtable organised by The Civil Society Network on Migration and Development (CSOnetMADE) to call for speedy adoption of the National Policy on IDPs.
Public Relations Officer (PRO) of IDPs in the FCT, Mr Chakuch Lawan, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that many governments, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and individuals were making money from IDPs’ predicaments.
Lawan explained that most governments and groups collected huge allocations and donations to help them in addressing the plights of the displaced, but that the IDPs did not get enough benefit from such gestures.
According to him, there are so many government agencies that carry out similar functions to assist us but when there is a problem and we go to them, they do not respond well.
The spokesman said that against the assumptions that IDPs were lazy, they would appreciate if the government empowered them to begin their livelihood in the FCT, pending when conditions in their communities improved.
“We appreciate the Federal Government for all its support for us since we started living as IDPs. It has really tried.
“The only problem is that some organizations have been using us to make money. When they collect money to buy relief items for us, they will not spend everything for us.
“Most of us are farmers and we have our farms in neighbouring states like Nasarawa and we are working to feed ourselves.
“We are ready to return to our communities when we are sure that the security situation is alright and completely safe,’’ he said.
On his part, Secretary of the IDPs in the territory, Mr Elisha Ezikiel, said that the officials were more interested in procurements of contracts than what benefitted the displaced persons.
“When they were talking of relocating us, different agencies shared so many contracts among themselves.
“Some said they will make shirts for identification; others said they will make wrist bands, some said T-shirts. They have collected the money and contracts but we are still here.
“They should take pity on our conditions rather than making money from our conditions,’’ Ezikiel said.
Mrs Layatu Ayuba, Leader of women in IDPs in Durumi camp, shared in the complaints and called for a suitable IDPs camp, with better healthcare and sanitary condition.
She said that she was the only woman that help in delivering pregnant women on their babies in the camp as most of them could not afford medical care.
“We are living in very bad conditions; the camps do not have toilets and we are not allowed to dig pit toilets in the place we are. Most of the women now have different toilet infections.
“ Many NGOs come and teach us on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) but we do not have the environment and good water to practise it.
“Last week, a woman I was delivering her baby died because she had some complications and could not pay N150, 000 in the hospital for her treatment.
“It is sad because people come here to talk to us, take our pictures but we are not getting enough assistance.
“Being here is not our making and we do not pray to remain in this condition,’’ Ayuba said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Roundtable was organised by CSOnetMADE in collaboration with Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC). (NAN)
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