…urges govt, others on changing narrative of IDPs

By Gabriel Ewepu and Fortune Eromosele

AS Nigerians join rest of the world to celebrate Christmas, a nonprofit making organisation, Victory Idewele Foundation, VIF, Tuesday, offered free medical services and 20 scholarships to Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in New Kuchingoro of Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, as part of its support to ameliorate their plight in the spirit of the season.

Speaking on essence of the gesture, Founder, VIF, Innocent Idewele, explained that Foundation’s visit to the IDPs is to give them a sense of belonging during and after the festive period despite their condition.

Idewele also said the New Kuchingoro IDP Camp is a place that needs serious attention from government and nongovernmental organizations, hence his Foundation’s gesture to add value to the lives of the people living in the Camp.

He said: “We are here for medical outreach, a scholarship given, and also to celebrate Christmas with them. I chose Kuchingoro IDP camp because some years ago, I saw how they are leaving, and I said there is a lot to be done for them.

“These people have a terrible health condition and we are trying to arrest that situation with our medical teams, some have diabetes, which we would do our best to take care of.

“This is not going to end here, we are still going to come back here, because we have the camp Chairman and secretary’s number and we have given some of the students about 20 scholarships, so with time, we still going to increase it, they are like our family.

“And those with medical issues that cannot be attending to immediately, the foundation would sponsor them to a better hospital to make sure they are in good shape.

“We should try to reach out to the poor people because this period is festive season in which we are celebrating the birth of our dear Jesus Christ.

“The best way to celebrate Him is by doing good to the people because the Bible says when you give to the poor, you lend to God and your reward comes from God, therefore it is better we reach out to them and take them as our own, and also we should not wait for the government to do everything for us, we are the government.”

Meanwhile, one of the beneficiaries, Ali Yusuf alleged that government has neglected them despite their predicament, rather it has been NGOs and well-spirited individuals who have been helping them including empowerment.

“The government has not been doing anything to help us here, is only the NGOs that come here to attend to us. Whenever NGOs come here, they take care of our health, bring food, they attend to us in many ways”, Yusuf said.