The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at Malkohi camp in Yola, Adamawa, have called for educational and financial support from the Federal Government to start businesses as they return to their communities.
Mr Nickolas Samuel, the Leader of the camp in Yola, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that they needed the assistance to establish themselves on the various skills they acquired at the camp.
He said that the IDPs also need some funds to buy agricultural equipment and seedlings in order to engage in proper farming.
He said that before the insurgency attack most of the IDPs were engaged in farming activities of crops and vegetables like carrots, beans, groundnuts and maize, among others.
Samuel also underscored the need for the IDPs to return to their respective villages to farm.
He noted that most of the IDPS were eager to return to their communities to engage in farming, saying “while in this camp, no one can give us what we really need.
“Most IDPs in the camp are farmers, staying here we can’t farm, there is need for us to return to our respective villages to farm and take care of our families for those who have.
“Some of these framers when they were farming were harvesting over 100 bags of groundnut, maize and beans.
“We want to go back to our villages so that we can be useful and productive to our society.
“Some of us our homes in our villages have been destroyed and burnt down by Boko Haram; we need money to rebuild these houses.
“We need money to go and buy seedlings to farm and as well manage our respective homes,’’ said the IDPs leader.
Samuel said that the only groups of IDPs who are engaged in skill acquisition at the camp were women.
He called for the need to also engage the men especially youths in handwork and other skills in order to cater for their families and become useful to their various communities.
Mrs Fatima Umar, Malkohi Camp Women Leader, said that the IDPs require funds to survive when they return to their communities as part of empowerment from the government.
She said that most of the women in the camp are widows whose husbands were killed by the Boko Haram.
“For a woman at the age of 30 with children to be a widow is not easy; when we return to our villages how are we going to manage our lives?’’ she asked.
Umar noted that these are some of the main challenges they were scared of returning, saying “this is our main challenge and that of the future of our children in the area of education’’.
She said there are some girls between ages 13 and 15 who were illiterate before and are now educated while in the camp through the assistance of the federal government and President Muhammadu Buhari.
“With the help of the federal government and President Muhammadu Buhari, these children can now read.
“When they go back home how will their education continue, so we want the government to come to our aid and support us especially in the area of education.
“We need funds to start-up business that we have learned in the camp; we learned many skill acquisitions like liquid wash, soap making, caps making and tailoring, among others.
“All we seek is empowerment and funds to establish ourselves on the skills we have learned when we return to our various communities,’’ Umar said. (NAN)
