By Amos Aar
MEMBERS of Abagana Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Makurdi LGA of Benue State have appealed for urgent support in shelter, education, and livelihood as their living conditions continue to deteriorate.
Camp manager and representative of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA), Ms. Shipinen Unande, made the appeal when UCare Nigeria, with support from the ECOWAS Peace Fund, extended its humanitarian pilot programme to Abagana camp on Friday.
She lamented that many families now sleep under staircases due to leaking roofs and torn nets in their shelters.
“Out of 35 toilets we once had, only 15 are functional. Our people no longer have farmland, and when we attempted to farm last time, herders destroyed everything. For cooking, they now dig up tree roots because firewood is finished,” she explained.
Unande who commissioned projects at the camp on behalf of Ucare and ECOWAS Peace fund also lamented the lack of drugs at the camp pharmacy, noting that residents are often given prescriptions they cannot afford. “Apart from hunger, we are facing infections like ringworm and pneumonia because many are sleeping on bare floors”.
She also appealed for scholarships for children and skill acquisition opportunities for displaced youths.
In his remarks, the camp chairman, Mr. Azende Festus, added that insects such as bugs and lice have worsened the plight of camp residents.
Also speaking during the outreach, UCare Nigeria’s Benue State Team Lead, Mr. Terna Nyityo, said the initiative was designed to reach at least 1,000 people per camp with healthcare, dignity kits for adolescent girls, mama kits for pregnant women, mosquito nets, boreholes, treated water, and toilets accessible to men, women and persons with disabilities.
Commissioning a solar-powered borehole and newly built toilets at Abagana, UCare also conducted medical outreach for children, breastfeeding mothers, and expectant women. Nyityo explained that the project also covers host communities, as their resources have been overstretched by the influx of displaced persons.
The intervention, which began last week at Ichwa, targets three camps in the state, including the Abagana mega camp that once hosted over 30,000 IDPs.
