By Brown Chimezie
Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Borno State counterpart, Babagana Zulum, are among the high profile personalities expected from across the country and the Diaspora at the first ever arts exhibition in Nigeria to raise fund for internally displaced persons (IDP) in the country.
The charity event, tagged “Art For A Cause” will hold at The Art Hotel, Yesufu Abiodun Oniru Way, Victoria Island, Lagos, from December 10 to 15, 2023.
The Charity Through Art Exhibition is the brainchild of a young Nigerian female serial entrepreneur, Olasubomi Fagbewesa, who is concerned about the plights of IDPs in various camps in Nigeria, especially in Borno, Benue and other states in the North East, North Central and North West.
According to Ms. Fagbewesa, the art exhibition is aimed at raising more funds from individuals, corporate and government agencies to assist the efforts of national and sub-national governments and international organisations to alleviate the sufferings of families living in the IDP camps by providing medical care, food and other basic needs of life, especially for children and women, who are most impacted by insurgencies and banditries.
Quoting from a report which paints a grim picture of the situation of IDPs in the country, Fagbewesa said: “As at February 2023, the DTM identified a total of 2, 388,703 IDPs in 488,163 households and 2,110,039 returnees in 346,166 households.”