The management of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp, Uhorgua, near Benin, in Edo, has called on the Federal Government to consider the camp in the distribution of palliatives.
President Muhammadu Buhari in his first broadcast on Corona virus in the country had announced provision of two months palliative to help cushion the effect of COVID-19 on IDPs nationwide.
Pastor Solomon Folorunsho, Coordinator of the camp, told our corespondent in Benin on Wednesday that the camp has yet to receive any palliative two weeks after the presidential announcement.
Folorunsho, who said that they were excited by the President’s announcement on the IDPs in the country, however, lamented that until now, “the Edo IDP is yet to benefit from such palliatives.
“We listened to Mr President’s broadcast that day and heard him clearly and we were very excited that succour was finally coming our way.
“This was because since the beginning of this year we have been facing so much challenges especially with feeding. But as I speak to you now, we are yet to get anything from the Federal Government.
“We are, however, still expecting and hoping that Edo IDP will get its share of the federal government’s promised palliative soon,” he said.
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The coordinator, however, disclosed that Edo government, a fortnight ago donated several food items to the camp as palliatives to help cushion any negative effect of measures put in place to curtail the spread of the virus on the residents.
According to him, some of the challenges faced in the camp by the inmates still subsist, saying however, that there were no reported or suspected cases of the virus in the camp.
He explained that the management team of the camp were doing their best to stick to government guidelines in containing the spread, adding that the camp was enforcing strict social distancing measure as well as personal hygiene among the inmates.
He however lamented that with the social distancing, some inmates now sleep in the halls, while some preferred sleeping outside if it was not raining.
He appealed to individuals and cooperate organisations to assist the camp with hand sanitisers and face masks as the management was running out of the ones purchased.
He also disclosed that visitors were no longer allowed to the camp for now, except donors who were only allowed to make and leave their donations at designated spots within the camp.
He added that items donated were usually sprayed before being taken to the warehouse.
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