NYSC Awardees show gestures to IDPs in Abuja

“If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope” Barack Obama

By Olubunmi Omoogun – The poor state of the 8 kilometre road that leads to the serene community of Wassa, a satellite town in AMAC area council of Abuja did not dampen the resolve, commitment and the love the National Presidential Honours (NPH) Awardees have for the Internally Displaced People (IDP) in Wassa.

Few people spare a thought for the existence of the displaced persons but heartbreaking as this will seem, the UN in its recent statistics put the figure of the IDPs in Nigeria at 1.5million. This figure is scary. In fact add another 4million to this figure and you will get the population of Sierra Leone.

But when the attention of the 2012, 2013 and 2014 NPH Awardees was drawn to the IDPs’ plight they sprang into action. Knowing that advocacy goes beyond an active verbal support for a cause, the coordinator Dr. Allwell Maduakolam led his team to donate and support the IDPs by giving out relief materials ranging from food items, medical items etc.

“We are bringing in these incentives to alleviate the suffering of the people. We partner with other corporate organizations so that we can do things that will have a lasting impact on the people in need. We are putting resources together to put smiles on the displaced persons’ faces because some of them are dying” said Dr. Allwell.

This philanthropic gesture by Dr. Allwell’s team seems timely especially when NEMA informed well meaning Nigerians to scale up efforts to help the displaced persons as capacity to handle resources are dwindling.

The awardees who will in a matter of weeks be travelling to the UK for further studies were inspired by the immense support they received from Society for Family Health.

A member of the team, Charles Bello also informed African Voice that the team believes in community development service. “There is no amount of community efforts that can be enough. People donated foods, some of us donated clothes that were given out today to the IDPs”. In further demonstration of its commitment to restoring their hope, the health of the IDPs also received a big and significant boost. Following the intervention of the NPH awardees, a clinic was set up at the centre to carter for the Displaced.

“The clinic we are setting up will meet their basic medical needs. We are calling on people to partner with us. With this we hope to attract national and global attention to the plights of the Displaced people”.

He further urged the IDPs to make proper and efficient use of the basic medical amenities including mosquito nets donated to them. The more than 1,000 displaced persons also enjoyed free eye test and antenatal care.

Undaunted by the many challenges they are facing, the IDPs in Wassa community thanked the NPH awardees led by Dr. Allwell Maduakolam for their caring hearts.

As we leave Wassa IDPs centre,  it is instructive that in spite of the increased humanitarian efforts across Nigeria, more than half a million IDPs are still without an education and struggling to have a secured future.