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The African Refugees Foundation (AREF), yesterday, called on government to be more responsive towards improving the living standards of citizens, even as it said many Nigerians, including Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), currently live in conditions worse than those of refugees.
Speaking at a press briefing to mark the 2022 World Refugee Day in Lagos, the Honourary Adviser and Trustee, AREF, Prof. Kolawole Raheem, said there is no substitute for peace because violence emanates from avoidable crises created by political and traditional leaders through actions and inactions.
He said the deplorable condition of refugees calls for urgent attention. He also noted that many Nigerians, including IDPs in different camps, experience daily trauma, which leaves them in more misery.
Speaking on the theme of this year’s celebration, ‘Whoever, Whatever, Whenever. Everyone Has A Right to Seek Safety’, Raheem said it is ironical that many IDPs who fled for safety are still being raped and harassed at different camps.
He explained that refugees and IDPs are by-products of man’s inhumanity to man, and greed. Raheem disclosed that as part of activities to mark this year’s Day, AREF empathised with 500 vulnerable persons at four locations in Lagos by providing them with food.
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