Over 5,000 Cameroonian refugees living in Abuja, Cross River, Benue, and Taraba States have received food items worth millions of naira from Community Refugee Relief Initiative and Fomunyoh Foundation (CRRI & TFF).
The donation is to ameliorate the suffering of the refugees who fled the Central African country following the crisis that erupted five years ago.
Thousands of Cameroonians who left their homes in the wake of the crisis still live as refugees in some neighbouring countries. Nigeria, a West African neighbour is said to be playing host to about 80,000 such refugees from Cameroun.
Items donated include bags of rice, garri, vegetable oil, noodles, fruit juice, biscuits, among others. The distribution which took place in four local governments of Cross River State, including Ikom, Calabar Municipality, Akamkpa, and Ogoja as well as Benue and Abuja, attracted over 500 households at each point.
The items were also distributed at the Cameroonian refugee urban and rural centres, including other camps in Calabar, Oban, Akor, Okende, Ogoja, Adagom I& III, Ajasor Basua in Ikom, Ikyogen in Benue and Abuja FCT.
Speaking after the distribution recently, the chairman, board of directors, CRRI, Celestine Atangcho described the condition of the refugees as‘ terrible and saddening’, but assured of keeping the support coming.
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Atangcho observed that the population of the refugees was on the increase as more were coming in to join their brothers and sisters here in Nigeria due to the crisis at home
“On the sad note, the situation is still the same; it’s even more dire because of the population increase and the people still need food. On a positive note, a lot of these refugees have been involved in livelihood programmes to be financially independent.
There is a need to reach out to the people because food is essential for survival.”
He noted that although it might be impossible to reach out to the over 80,000 Cameroonian refugees living in Nigeria, but little efforts such as the one by his organisation can go a long way in ameliorating their suffering.
President & founder of TFF, Christopher Fomunyoh said he has on behalf of the foundation paid attention to providing support to people who had been impacted by the crisis.
“We are intervening even at the home front. Some internally displaced persons who have abandoned their villages, towns of residence, and regions are now living outside their country.
“I am saddened to see how lives are being wasted gradually just because of the challenges that these people go through. Old men, people with physical disabilities, women, children; I am moved by their resilience, the fact that despite their environment, they’re still hopeful about the future, they’re still hoping that peace will return and they will be able to return to their respective homes,” he said.
