By Ajide Felix in Ilorin.
Dr. Abiola Adimula, the Acting Director of Center for Peace and Security Studies, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin has called for public awareness and support for refugees being people who had to flee their home lands because of conflicts or natural disaster.
Adimula made the call at a news conference organized to celebrate World Refugee Day at Al-Hikmah University Ilorin on Monday.
She said that not more than 100million people have been forced to flee war conflicts and persecution from South Sudan, Ethiopia,Central African Republic, Ukraine, Nigeria and other parts of the country.
According to her, these people need to be protected and they need shelter, access to clean water, health care, education and jobs.
” World Refugee Day is an opportunity to promote empathy and understanding for plight, as well as to recognise their courage and their resilience in rebuilding their lives.
“World Refugee Day sheds a light on refugees’ right, needs, and hopes, aiding in mobilizing political will and support so that refugees will not only flourish but grow.
“The IDPs and refugees share something in common, the agony and costs of
being forced to flee their homes.
“The majority of them are children and youth under the age of 18, refugees and IDPs suffer loss and dislocation which affect the rest of their lives.
“Some camps in Africa have been around for 40 years. Children born in these camps have nowhere to call home.
“In the course of living in these camps, these children have since become parents.
“Successive generations have grown up away from the reach of mainstream
development efforts”, Adimula said.
The Acting Director said that in Nigeria, North-East geopolitical zone is the most affected by the conflict and
consists of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe.
She added that as of March, 2022 a total of 2,171, 652 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), were identified in 446,740 households.
She said further that some causes of displacement in Nigeria include Jihadist violence, armed banditry, farmers -herders conflict, inter-communal wars and boundary disputes among others.
She explained that the specific solutions to Nigeria displacement issues are interdependent, saying that solving the security crises means stopping the displacement figure from multiplying.
Adimula noted that studies had found that in Kwara we have IDPs in Sango area, Wakili Hausa Compound, Oko-Olowo, Olooru, Iyana Momo in Moro, Kere-Aje in Offa, Gaa Olomi funfun in Offa and Lata in Patigi.
The Vice-Chancellor of Al-hikmah, University, Prof. Noah Yusuf, called for collaboration between the Center for Peace and Security Studies and Center for Islamic Heritage in order to raise found to feed refugees.
He urged the public to stop sending refugees away because they vulnerable.
The World refugee day is an international day observed on June 20th by the United Nations.
“It is intended to remember and honor refugees from all over the world. The day was first observed on June 20, 2001, to recognize the 50th anniversary of the 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
