By Teddy Nwanunobi
As the world marks the 2026 World Refugee Day (WRD) on Saturday, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi, has decried that millions of Nigerians have become refugees in their own country.
Daily NewsCraft reports that over 3.5 million citizens have been internally displaced, relying on basic relief for survival due to prolonged insurgencies, banditry, and climate emergencies.
In a message he posted on his X handle, @PeterObi, on Saturday, Obi lamented that the internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps are now a painful symbol of Nigeria’s failure to protect its people.
He expressed sadness that many of the IDP camps are grossly underfunded, and inadequate for the thousands that are forced to live there.
”Today is World Refugee Day. Yet, millions of Nigerians have become refugees in their own country. Across the North and other parts of Nigeria, communities have been displaced by terrorism, banditry, and violent attacks, with IDP camps now a painful symbol of our national failure to protect our people.
”Many of these camps are grossly underfunded and inadequate for the thousands forced to live there. Families struggle daily for food, healthcare, education, and basic dignity. For many, survival has become their only reality,” the former Governor of Anambra State decried.
Obi, who was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, noted that there is little hope for many displaced Nigerians to return to their communities due to the rising insecurity in the country.
”Children are abducted from schools. Families are forced to flee their homes. Farmers abandon their lands. Citizens live in fear of kidnapping and violence.
”Worse still, with insecurity continuing to spread and intensify, there is little hope for many displaced Nigerians to return to their communities, and rebuild their lives safely. This is not OK,” he stated.
He maintained that Nigerians deserve the right to live peacefully in their own country.
”On this World Refugee Day, we must remember that behind every statistic is a human life disrupted, a family uprooted, and a future put on hold. Nigerians deserve safety, dignity, and the right to live peacefully in their own country,” he added.
Daily NewsCraft reports that while the crisis is heavily concentrated in the North East (especially Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states), violence and displacement have spread to the North Central and North West regions, including areas like Benue, Plateau, and Katsina.
The World Refugee Day is celebrated on June 20 of every year. The theme for this year’s WRD is: ‘Until everybody is safe’.
About 40 per cent of IDPs reside in designated camps or temporary settlements, while the remaining 60 per cent rely on the resources of host communities.