Refugees, IDPs need more attention-Don

A university Don, Dr Biola Adimula has lamented the deplorable condition of people displaced by conflicts and other disasters in the country, urging more attention for their wellbeing.

Adimula, who is an associate professor of law at the University of Ilorin, in an interview with journalists in Lokoja said internally displaced persons across camps in the country live in unwholesome conditions which have further worsened their traumatic experience.

She noted that available amenities in those locations were not enough to cater for the needs of the displaced thus making them vulnerable to abuses and exploitations.

Adimula who is also a renowned refugees and IDPs advocate, called on the government to be more proactive in taking measures to ensure good health, welfare and economic empowerment of refugees and IDPs while battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In this COVID-19 challenging time, we have seen a connectedness that transcends borders. Ordinary people have stepped up to help. Host communities especially those in low and middle-income countries where nearly 90 percent of the world’s refugees live have continued to demonstrate a remarkable welcome.

“They are, for example, volunteering as front line health workers in Colombia and the United Kingdom; making soap for distribution in Lebanon and Niger; sewing masks and protective gears in Iran; helping construct isolation centres in Bangladesh; and elsewhere around the world, they are contributing time to help the needy in their host communities,” she pointed out.