The African Refugees Foundation (AREF) has revealed that as part of activities to mark the 2026 World Refugee Day, it would distribute cooked and raw foods to about 10,000 refugees, internally displaced persons and vulnerable people across Lagos and selected states.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, Mr Olujimi Olusola, stated this yesterday at a programme to flag off the distribution of the food. During the programme flag off, there was a free health check and counselling for vulnerable and indigent residents of Surulere.

He added that the foundation is ready to do more across Nigeria if it gets the required resources, especially in equipping the beneficiaries with economic skills.

He further said that the flag of the distribution is also part of creating awareness about the issues of refugees and displaced people globally.

He maintained that refugees and internally displaced persons are humans, stressing that anyone could be a refugee.

The special guest, former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, commended AREF for organising the event, as it helps to galvanise the right attitude towards promoting peace and living responsibly.

He said: “We must do whatever we can beyond giving support to refugees to prevent the incidents of displacement from occurring in whatever position we find ourselves.

“And perhaps the biggest thing that we must embrace in that sense is patience. The prevention and resolution of conflict, but certainly not the instigation of conflict.

“Of course, there are natural events that also displace people, events of nature, flooding, weather and so on. Again, we can do some things about this. And so when they tell us how to protect, defend and use our environment, these are messages of what we, as a people, can contribute to prevent or mitigate events that result in the displacement of people.”