Public Complaints Commission assures IDPs in North East of speedy Federal Government intervention

State Correspondent

The Hon. Chief Commissioner of Public Complaints Commission, PCC, Ayo Abimbola Yusuf has said the challenges faced by Internally Displaced Persons- IDPs, in the North East will be looked into by the Federal Government noting that the Commission has seen and heard from the people what they encounter daily in the camps.

Addressing the members of the camp, during the public hearing Hon. Ayo Yusuf who was represented by the Deputy Director, Investigation Public, Daniel Palong, in his address noted that the commission was only on a fact-finding mission so that issues affecting the people who never dreamt that they will find themselves where they are currently located will be put into consideration for speedy intervention by the government.

He said he is particularly pained and worried that not much has been done even though efforts have been deployed to alleviate the burden of the people who have been dislocated from their original abode to their unimaginable state of living which is not helping so much in their daily struggle for survival.

He said: ” We have listened to you. We have received complaints from many IDPs camp in the North East and FCT hence decided to adopt Systemic and Proactive Investigation and public hearing with a view to finding lasting solution to the menace.

” We agree that lots of things are wrong like the Chairman of the camp has said. We will also get across to the National Commission For Refuges, NCFR, if truly what he has said exist and see how they can be corrected so that the society can move on well with everybody. We can have a better society than what we currently have in the camps”, he said.

The PCC assured the IDPs that no one is happy about their conditions and it will be a disservice for anyone to undermine the circumstances that brought them to the place.

” It is circumstances that have actually made you to be here. We will take up the matter as you have narrated it. We will also appreciate that our intervention will lead you home successfully so that you continue your life as you wish to live it. Just take things easy as the commission is ready to do something in the interim to support your cause”, he stated.

He added that this Investigation is focusing on the IDP camps in the North East Zone and from the Public hearing, the Commission was meant to know that some of these people displaced from their homes have travelled far to FCT where they feel is relatively safe for them.

A representative of the North East8 Development Commission, NEDC, Mallam Musa Tarami who was on the visit said in his contribution, stated that the intervention is timely and will be focused on meeting the expectations of the people in the camp.

” I was here the last time President Muhammadu Buhari visited the North East. The mandate given to us is stabilization, Recovery, and Development of the six states of the region affected by Boko Haram and insurgency.

” We are recovering now. We are stabilizing gradually. And that is why development will start coming in. These were the mandates given to us. The NEDC is doing what is called status interventions. Interventions in the sense that, member states, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Yobe, and Taraba.

” Our duty is to liaise with them and see how we can synergies and bring succor to you. The NEDC is working to alleviate the suffering of the people by ensuring relief materials get to them at the right time. Our duty is to look at how development can be spread across to the people most especially those in the rural areas”, he noted.

Earlier, responding on behalf of the IDP camp, its chairman, Philemon Emmanuel explained that it is almost as if the camps have been forgotten saying most of the items meant for their welfare hardly get to them.

According to him: ” There was a time the NCFR called us that we are going to be given some items. That we should come with women to the camp for assistance. And they were all gathered. The reason for that was because of support from UAE. They came with 65 sewing machines. And grinding machines. When they got there after going with widows from different camps. The Commission called 35 women who were not IDPs. Those women were given those items leaving those who needed the items stranded.

” The 65 women were thinking they too should have been given those sewing machines but they were disappointed. They said they will not give them that day that until they have trained them. And that they were going to set aside a time so that they can come and learn how to use it. But since that time till now, there has been no response from them. We see them as thieves. They are only enriching themselves at the expense of the suffering innocent poor widows”, he added.