Overcrowding leading to poor sanitary conditions in #IDPs camps and communities contributes to further #cholera outbreak in #Borno #Nigeria. We’re calling on authorities to expand access to more land for construction of latrines, bathing houses, boreholes and water points to end the disease It was a beautiful Friday, just like any other day, first on my agenda was to exploit the IDPs centres to feel what it is like one leaving one’s comfort zone for fear of the unknown and also interact with the IDPs in knowing what and where to render the little assistance one can afford. Around 8am, I placed a call to one Malam Buba, a strong Baba Buhari supporter, whom I had met during baba’s campaign in my office (BSO), who also told me he resides just around the neighbourhood of Karmajiji, along Abuja’s Airport road.
The journey that started some minutes back seems endless and it was like we are embarking on an eternity ride with the safety of my car at stake due to the nature of the bad road. Malam, how far are we? was all I kept asking and my guide will just smile and say “ Hajiya, mun kusa” meaning “Hajiya, we are almost there.” Finally, he pointed to a nearby shop and asked me to drive through and park besides it and come out.
“Hajiya, this is the IDPs camp” he slammed back still laughing. God of Heaven! I screamed! With my eyes wide open. Turning around in disbelief were shambles of cottages wrapped with Bagco bags, cement sacks and other roasted zincs. Smelly waters coming from the stench of the oozing toilets and other domestic activities like tributaries and refuse dumps are all one could see. However, we managed to make it to the chairman’s house, but was informed by his wife that he was unavailable. The wife and some of the youths I have met shared with us their ordeal. After listening to their sorrowful stories, the youths with some men we met volunteered to take us round the camp and everything was like a dream to me as it was my first experience finding myself in such squalor.
As we descended and seeing smelly trash and gutters everywhere, the first thing that came to my mind was the health situation and could not help, but ask if they have any form of medical services in the camp, they said the AMAC chairman (Malam Candido) had provided a mini clinic with two volunteer nurses, but can’t really access much due to lack of drugs and when asked if the government has provided some kind of medical insurance scheme for the camp for easy access to medical needs, the answer was capital no! They said if anyone of them falls ill they all gather to contribute a minimum sum of say fifty, fifty naira (N50 – N50) each in order to get the person drugs, e.g malaria, typhoid drugs, as those are the common sickness in the camp due to their prompt exposure to mosquitoes and lack of potable water supply in the area, as everywhere you turn to, you only see waste, with smelly waters and mosquitoes living as neighbours and tenants with equal rights within the neighbourhood.
The clinic was pointed to me and one of the nurses even came to plead with me to help her secure a permanent job in town, as they are only taken as volunteers with a ten thousand naira (N10,000) only salary that don’t even come in months despite having family to cater for. I was informed of a crucial medical situation of the wife of their volunteer Chief Imam’s wife (Uztaz Abdul-Lateef) who was sent home by the hospital for lack of money to operate and save the life of her eight months pregnancy due to her multiple fibroids that appeared in four places and was suffocating the poor baby. I had to take it upon myself by reaching out to come to their aid; I was able to get some of the bills settled with the help of family friends and health worker at the ministry of health under the primary health unit.
Nevertheless, when I asked of how they get their water, I was told that the water vendors supply them and I was shown the borehole that was constructed by the FCDA management which is still yet to be commissioned. They said the borehole has been there for over two and half years ago without commissioning. I asked about schools, as everywhere you turn, you see group of children playing when it is still school hours. The answer that came with the question was “Not anymore”. I was ushered into a place that looks like a gambling centre to me though, only to be told that, that was the school they use but the volunteer teachers whom have been coaching their kids had abandoned the school and left due to lack of salaries that accumulated for several months.
Now, this is one of the many pathetic stories and situations of the IPDs. The same people the President has spent so many billions trying to provide succour to their tragic life so that they may be able to cope with the challenges of life. And the one million and one questions is who are those responsible for providing all the necessary basic and relief materials needed by these poor victims in order to live up to the life challenges? How can people be so callous and indifferent when it comes to their fellow humans? Why would you keep taking on behalf of these people only for you to divert it for your very own selfish and malicious intents while leaving the poor and displaced masses perish in their own sorrows? Why and so many whys? Living an extravagant life at the detriment of the poor and incapacitated? When the First Lady spoke on the plight of the IDPs I thought it was the usual blabbing, that most of us that are our Baba’s die- hard, and began to question their moral intent, now I know better, that, while the poor man is busy sinking in money day in day out, some bad eggs whom have disguised themselves as soldiers of the poor are just busy having a field day. Hence, government cannot afford to be paying into individuals’ pocket while lavishing a fake lifestyle at the detriment of the poor who are in dire need of it. How cruel!
Finally, it is my humble plea and hope that the government would provide succour and bring some sense of belonging to our brothers and sisters out there in the open.
Kuta writes via [email protected]
