Peter Obi Demands Better Facilities for Displaced Persons in Sokoto

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has called on the government to urgently improve living conditions for internally displaced persons at the Ramin Kura IDP Camp in Sokoto State.

Obi made the call after visiting the camp in Sokoto North Local Government Area on Monday, September 29, as part of his two-day visit to the state.

He said more than 1,000 internally displaced persons were currently living in the camp, many of them under difficult conditions.

Obi expressed concern over the makeshift shelters and thatched rooms being used to accommodate displaced families, noting that some rooms housed 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 as major challenges confronting residents.

The former Anambra governor urged the government and relevant agencies to urgently address the immediate needs of the displaced persons while tackling the security challenges that forced them from their communities.

“I have always insisted that as long as even one Nigerian lives in an IDP camp, we are all internally displaced,” Obi said.

He said temporary accommodation should be made more comfortable while efforts were intensified to create the security conditions required for displaced Nigerians to return to their ancestral homes.

Obi said the visit was his 12th to an IDP camp in Nigeria and pledged to continue supporting displaced Nigerians.

He also called on political office holders to spend their holidays within the country to enable them to better understand the challenges confronting vulnerable Nigerians.

Obi attributed the difficult conditions in IDP camps to what he described as inadequate government prioritisation of critical development needs.

He urged the government and relevant agencies to provide better facilities and support for residents of the Ramin Kura camp.

He reiterated his call for a “New Nigeria”, saying displaced persons should be supported to live with dignity while measures were taken to enable them to safely return home.