From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The Coordinator, Edo Internally Displaced Persons camp also known as the Home For The Needy, in Edo state, Pastor Folorusho Solomon, yesterday, called on the federal, states and well meaning Nigerians to help the inmates with food items to cushion the adverse effects of the fuel subsidy removal on them.
He made the appeal while speaking with Journalists at the camp in Ohogua, Ovia North East Local Government Area of the state.
Pastor Folorusho said over 3000 inmates go to beds most times with an empty stomach.
“To ask if we are feeling the heat of fuel subsidy removal, maybe we need to find another word more than heat. It is really very, very hot.
“Today is Sunday, I have to try to raise some funds and send some persons to the market to get some cassava granules (garri), very expensive.
“You can see the few bags they brought, very expensive and hunger has increased. It is so so terrible, I must tell you.
“We still have over 3000 persons here and they are all mainly students, young people, vibrant, intelligent , with over 200 in different universities.
” They are wonderful people but the challenge of feeding and funding their education are the main issues we are battling with at the moment”, Folurunsho said.
He said the thought of what the children will eat often give him sleepless nights because no responsible father would be happy seeing his children going to bed with an empty stomach.
“Sleepless nights, yes of course. you cannot sleep when children are hungry. You cannot sleep when children are knocking at your door they don’t have food to eat, they want to go to school but their fees are not paid but we always trust God and believe that someone somewhere will be touched and intervened.
“So, that courage is what is propelling us, that hope in God, hope that humanity will become humane enough to help the poor and raise them from their low levels and make them useful to the world”, Folurunsho said.
The camp coordinator also said that besides the abscence of foods in the camp, some of the children from the camp attending various universities are finding it difficult to proceed due to paucity of funds.
“The paucity of funds is already affecting our children in various universities especially with some of them not being allowed to write their examinations because they didn’t pay their school fees.
” In one of the universities, Western Delta University, we have over 50 there. The last exam they wrote, they were all denied entering their classes because they have not paid their fees and the children cried. I only have to give them hope that things will get better”, Folorusho added.
When asked if he has written to anybody for help, he said”Some times we do not even know who to reach out to anymore.
” We have written several letters to different bodies, the media like you have come to ask.
“This is one of the channels we reach out to them and I just hope even as I am speaking now, that they will hear and do something to come and help these children because the children, they are the ones Nigeria needs now, the world needs now because of the kind of trainings we have given to them.
‘If you allow these children to continue their education and if they come out, you are going to have a good country, corrupt free country, you are going to have good lawyers, doctors that will give their best because of what they have gone through, they will do their best for Nigeria but if you allow them to go back into the streets, they are going to become a threat”, Folurunsho added.
Speaking also, one of the inmates, Veronica Bulis said they were yet to talk their breakfast as at about 6pm.
“You see us right now, we have not eaten morning food since in the morning till now, we are still believing God for it to come.
” So, we need governments to help us, to support us in the aspect of foods and fuel to generate our water.
“Some times we will just stay without water and as the rain is falling, it is the rain water that we will drink “, Bulis said.