The Coordinator, Uhogua Internally Displaced Persons camp in Benin, Solomon Folorunsho, says 30 of the IDPs have been enrolled into different tertiary institutions in the last three years.
Folorunsho made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Benin.
He said the feat was made possible due to the constant Support of the Federal and State governments, the Nigeria Customs Service as well as the National Logistics Committee.
Folorunsho also thanked Muhammadu Buhari for his kind gesture toward the IDPs in Benin and the North East.
She said: “You can imagine the distance between Abuja and Benin, yet Mr. President is thinking about this place by sending food and other relief materials. It shows that the President is a wonderful man that loves Nigeria.
“The greatest part of achievement that has taken place in the life of these children is in their education.
“In the last three years, we have about 30 of them that are now in different universities, polytechnics and Colleges of Education.
“In 2017, two of the children got admission to the University of Benin and one of them is in Edo State University. The State University is a new University Commissioned by the former Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
“In the last JAMB that was conducted, we enrolled 63 of them, 59 among them scored between 297, 270 and 200 and the remaining four scored between 190 and 180.
“This year, we are going to have about 50 of them (IDPs) gaining admission into tertiary institutions.
“It shows that there is a great empowerment in their academic life and otherwise.’’
On skills acquisition for the adults in the camp, Folorunsho said they had started learning how to sew, bake and make liquid soap.
He said the camp had few sewing machines donated by some persons.
He said: “We want to use this medium to appeal to Nigerians to help in this aspect because one good thing about these people is that they are always willing to learn.
“They are always ready to work, they are not lazy. All they need is support and I know if they get that assistance, they will embrace it.’’
One of the IDPs, Grace James, a 20-year-old from Goza, Borno said her life had changed completely since she came into the camp in 2015, especially in the area of education.
She said: “When I came here, I have no hope of going to school anymore, I was hopeless anddowncast.
“While in the camp, I realised that there is hope for me that I can still go to school and I canstill make it in life.
“This place has really benefited me and now I see it as a home. Am presently writing my Senior Secondary Certificate Examination.’’
She said she just sat for Mathematics exam just on Monday, adding that in future she would like to become a medical doctor.
Another IDP, Philemon Usman, said when he came into the camp early 2015, he was not able to speak English Language fluently but now he can.
Usman, a 21-year- old, also from Goza, Borno, said; “when I came to the camp, I was not going to school but now am in SS3, I have already sat for West Africa Certificate Examination and am presently writing National Examination Council’’.
Usman added: “Some of us here are going to the university, and this year some of us believe God that we will gain admission to the university too.
“We have experienced many changes in the area of education and also in the standard of living.
“I want to use this opportunity to plead with the Federal Government to support us by funding our university education and we need more teachers to teach us here in the camp so that we can be stablised.
“So that when we (IDPs) return to our different communities we can have a profession or have something to do,”
Usman expressed the hope to return to Goza when the security situation in the North East stablises.
He thanked the President for his support and for providing relief materials to IDPs in Benin.
Usman added: “We thank Mr. President for remembering us even when he has a lot of people he is caring for. We pray that God will bless him.’’
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