The leadership of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs in Borno and Niger states have passionately appealed to President Bola Tinubu to in the spirit of humanity and performance, reinstate Dr. Betta Edu to office as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to reduce their suffering.
The IDPs who separately made this appeal recently recalled with nostalgia, how they enjoyed a new lease of life during the four and half months when Dr. Edu held sway as Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Speaking at Muna Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs camp in Maiduguri, a camp hosting over 52,000 IDPs from various local government areas of the state, Usman Monguno who said he has been an IDP for the past five years commended President Bola Tinubu for his unwavering commitment to lifting vulnerable Nigerians, especially IDPs, out of multi-dimensional poverty.
He however pleaded with him to restore Dr. Edu to office as according to him, “her visit to us when she was in office as Minister was reassuring, and her track record clearly showed she is deeply committed to executing His Excellency’s mandate in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Here is a minister who exudes empathy, love, and care for vulnerable Nigerians. I remember how she personally interacted with us, mingled with us, and supervised the distribution of relief materials to us when she visited us in our Maidugri IDP camp.
“Dr. Edu did not only give us hope when she visited, but she also gave us a new lease of life. I can never forget that memorable visit, “Monguno said.
Further appealing for Dr. Edu’s reinstatement, Usman said: “I fervently beg Mr President to please, bring back our Betta for better days.”
Another IDP who simply gave his name as Kashim Muhammed expressed optimism that “Mr. President will eventually see reason to restore Dr. Edu to her office as she has not been indicted, charged to court, tried, convicted and jailed by any court.
“Her continuous suspension is causing great setbacks to Mr. President’s poverty alleviation agenda. This is because Dr. Edu’s achievements during her short stay in office went a long way to reassured vulnerable Nigerians that the government has not and will not abandon them.”
On his part, Abdullahi Ndako who spoke on behalf of 22,000 Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in Niger State said he became an IDP when his community was overran by bandits, explaining that the greatest gift President Bola Tinubu can give IDPs in Niger State was to restore Edu to office so that she can continue with her exceptional drive to renewed hope agenda to end poverty, lack and want among the displaced persons.
“Few days after she was appointed Minister, Dr. Edu stormed Niger State with a message of renewed hope, in fact she came to renew our sagging hope -bringing with her empathy, care, love and relief materials. Dr. Edu gave us a sense of belonging and assured us that our days of misery and tears would soon end with her relocation plan. Since she was suspended, nobody has remembered us.
“I humbly beg Mr. President to look upon us with pity and bring back Dr Edu. We miss her care and motherly instincts,”
Another IDP, Amina Muhammed, a mother of three young kids, lamented the pitiable condition of the IDP camp, saying if Dr. Edu was not suspended. Life would have been much better in the camp.
“When she visited here, she saw our condition and then promised that our woes would soon be over. It is sad that she is not in the office to fulfil her promise. I’m begging our Jagaban (President Tinubu) to reinstate the Hon. Minister to office, we miss her.”
