July 25, 2022

Mrs. Evelyn Omijie, Assistant Coordinator of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, in Uhogua in Ovia North-East Local Government Area in Edo says 20 babies have been born in the camp in seven years.

Omijie made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday.

”The babies were given birth to by married young couples among the IDPs who were allowed to stay together.

”We did not record any unwanted births among the singles in the camp. We have a standard in the camp and this include the demarcation of the females’ living quarters from the males’ living quarters.

“Also the females are never allowed to go to the males’ living quarters and verse versa.

“We also teach morals and let them understand that they already have enough on their hands, which is being in the camp because they have been displaced and so it is pertinent that they live a meaningful life and and not destroy themselves,” she said.

She said that with such guidance, counselling and trainings, the management of the camp has been able to ensure and maintain sanity in the camp among the IDPs.

“With guidance and counselling, all they want is to be someone in life,” he said.

The assistant coordinator also said that the IDPs were doing excellently well in their education.

She said in the recently concluded 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), one of the IDPs scored 298.

She said that several others out of the 156 of them that sat for the examination also scored above 280.

She also said that more than 100 of the IDPs were presently writing both the Senior and Junior West African Examination Council (WAEC) examinations respectively, adding that she was optimistic that they would equally excel.

“We had wanted to enrol some of the IDPs for the NECO examination due to paucity of funds.

“We are appealing to education agencies as well as Non Governmental Organisations, government at all levels, individuals and cooperate organisations to assist the IDPs by way of scholarship awards and sponsorship of their education.

“This is imperative because when they eventually achieve their educational feat, you will be glad you did, because you will be part of their success story,” she said.

Omijie also called for support and assistance from the general public to enable the camp management meet up with regular feeding for the IDPs.

“As I speak to you now, we don’t have food in our warehouse, what we have is what we give to them, which is even below standard and quantity.

“But they say half bread is better than non. We are calling on everyone to come to the aid of these children who are victims of what they never planned,” she said.

She also appealed to pharmaceutical companies to also assist the camp with medicine of all kinds, especially anti malaria and antibiotics.

Until early 2015, not much was known about the IDP camp of Christian Home for the Needy, a home for orphans, destitute.

The ICCM IDPs camp in Uhogua has grown to become a camp that moulds orphans and homeless children, making them graduates and responsible citizens.

The camp has a population of about 2, 000 including management members and IDPs, made up mostly of Christians from Borno and Adamawa. (NAN)