Date: 2018-06-22

About 1.8million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are currently in Nigeria, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) declared in Ilorin yesterday.

With the figures, Nigeria is now listed third among the nations with humanitarian crisis globally.

The Director of NOA in Kwara State, Mr Olusegun Adeyemi, said this at the commemoration of 2018 World Refugee Day programme jointly organised by Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Society for Peace Studies and Practice and the state office of National Orientation Agency held in Ilorin, the state capital

Adeyemi, who said most the displaced persons are found in Northeast states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, disclosed that about 14million are in need of humanitarian assistance.

The NOA boss noted that the victims, who were forced to vacate their places of residence in the affected states, said Gombe, Taraba and Bauchi States host huge number of them

He stated that the condition of the victims required urgent attention, pointing out that some of them suffer hardship including health hazards and deadly diseases in places where they settle.

"Let me reiterate the fact that the number of people forcibly displaced worldwide has reached an alarming figure of 60million, the highest since the end of World War II and regrettably, 20million of these people are children.

"In Nigeria, the situation is really critical as the nation has been ranked third globally, among the nations with humanitarian crisis with about 1.8million internally displaced persons, who are mostly in the Northeast states.

"It is also estimated that about 14million Nigerians are in need of humanitarian assistance and Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States are the most directly affected by conflict and mass forced displacement, while Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba States accommodate the highest number of displaced persons.

"Without fear of contradiction, I wish to state that the condition of Refugees is one which demands immediate urgent attention as some of them suffer untold hardship in the camps or places where they seek refuge. While a number of them lack the required basic needs of food, clothing and shelter, others are affected by deadly disease and other hazards", Adeyemi said.

The National President of Society for Peace Studies and Practice (SPSP) Nigeria, Dr Nathaniel Danjibo, said the world refugee day was being celebrated to remind people about the failures of an international community, which forced lots of families to leave their homes.

Danjibo, who spoke through the National Publicity Secretary of the society, Dr (Mrs) Abiola Adimula, bemoaned the fate of the IDPs and refugees, saying that they are usually misunderstood and maligned because of their vulnerability.

Also speaking, the Director, Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, Professor Noah Yusuf, called on Nigerians to give support to refugees and displaced persons in their environments.

"Since becoming a refugee is not the making of the victim, rather, in most cases, social factors such as war, violence as well as political and religious persecutions are mostly responsible, then we have to render our support to the refugees in our midst

"It is therefore our social responsibility to provide succour to the refugees in our community by offering them hands of neighbourliness. The refugees are our true neighbours and should be treated accordingly", Yusuf said.