On Monday, July 6, 2020, Cameroonian refugees in Abuja stormed the Federal Secretariat to express their grievances on what they called poor treatment by the commission vested with the responsibility to cater for their welfare and safety.
Some of the refugees have been in Nigeria for more than three years, yet they complain of poor living conditions.
Instructively, on the World Refugee Day, some of the refugees, including a mother of four, Nga Frida, as well as four minors, were unable to get food to eat. And these people need food badly, especially as COVID-19 seems to have turned the attention of donor agencies to victims of the virus.
After submitting our names through the WhatsApp platform, hoping to get palliatives from the National Commission for Refugees and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), we were told that the Refugees Day was cancelled (without any good reason). But it was celebrated in other parts of Nigeria.
Refugees in Abuja are highly marginalised and deprived of their fundamental rights in accordance with international humanitarian laws. Those in positions of authority should look into the condition of refugees in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) before something drastic happens. I call on the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to intervene and save these refugees from further trouble.
Importantly, adequate attention should be paid to refugees in various camps across the country. Although coronavirus has not been reported among the refugees in various camps, expectedly because there’s lack of testing kits in those places, the possibility is there. So these things should not be taken for granted.
It is worthy of note that because the camps are usually crowded, observing preventive measures, such as social distancing, is an uphill task. The poor living condition of the people is also a great factor.
Our living condition in Abuja is deplorable. Some of us have been living under the bridges and in streets without anything to eat. Some benevolent people have been contributing to give us food once in a while, but unfortunately, there’s no support from the commission in charge of refugees. Sometimes we sleep without eating. Those concerned should please come to our rescue.
Richard Sakwe is one of the refugees in Abuja
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