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'We Struggle for Our Own Food'

This Day (Lagos)
NEWS
June 19, 2003
Posted to the web June 19, 2003

By Funso Abdullahi And Abu Kamara
Lagos
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1990 opened a camp
at Oru, near Ijebu Ode, Ogun State for Liberians who were trooping into Nigeria
at the height of the war in that country. Thirteen years after, in what looked
like a a repeat of history, last Thursday, about 30 Liberians are the latest
entrants into the camp which at present has 1,870 Liberians, 1,550 Sierra
Leoneans, 32 citizens of Democratic Republic of Congo, 16 Sudanese, 12
Rwandese, four Camerounians and eight Eritreans comprising men, women and
children.
Last Thursday when a team of Thislife journalists visited the camp for an on
the spot assessment towards the commemuration of tomorrow as World Refugee Day
formerly African refugees Day. We met some of them:
Morris Kamara flee Liberia on the night of May 16. On that particular night
they heard shouting, screaming, people running here and there apparently
signifying that fighting had escalated which made those in the vicinity flee
into the bush.
"We walked for a week to Sas town. My 83-year-old grandfather, my wife and our
five children, with ages ranging between 17 and six years. From Sas town, we
embarked on a canoe with several other people fleeing the war and traveled on
the sea for about two weeks to the Ghanaian. We were intercepted by the
Ghanaian security boat on the sea who refused us entry into Ghana.
We now headed for Togo where we disembarked, a Ghanaian who happened to be my
neighbour and who knew the route helped us to get to Lagos, we got to Lagos
June 2 and went to the UNHCR office.
"We were attended to by the councilor, who gave us some few pots, a stove and
four blankets for eight of us. The UNHCR also gave the family a sum of N5000 to
take care of transportation to the refugee camp and feeding," he narrated.
Kamara is happy to be alive, but he still finds life at the camp depressing. He
and his family have a corner of the auditorium for themselves, the auditorium
they share with about 30 other new refugees all from Liberia.
This particular rainy day, the Kamaras had left the camp early in the morning
in search of food. Many of the villagers gave cassava, some gave them money
while several others prayed for them.
Back to the camp, Kamara's wife Awa, settles down to peel the cassava at a
corner of the auditorium, hoping to process it into garri, which she has never
processed before. But other women at the camp have promised to teach her.
On his first impression of the camp Kamara says "life is terrible here, we are
at present sleeping on the bare floor in the auditorium, and mosquitoes feed on
us everyday, when it rains part of the building leaks as a result we have to
huddle together in the dry part".
The camp comprises 16 blocks of buildings mostly bungalows, built on a large
expanse of land, donated by the Ijebu North local government. Most of the
refugees are with their family thus each family has a room.
Running inside the camp is a canal which is almost dry but overgrown with
weeds, there are small patches of mini farms here and there, but mostly the
expanse of land is covered with grasses.
This afternoon most of those in camp were women and children, the men have gone
into town to look for work, some of the women sell within a mini market in the
camp. There are also beer parlours, hair dressing salons, electrical workshops
among others.
Fred Lambadine, also a Liberian who had been at the camp since 1990 traced
welfare at the camp from then till now. According to him, Between 1990 to 1998,
all the needs of the refugees especially food were taken care of by the UNHCR
and other donor agencies.
"After 1998 the policy changed, the authorities felt repatriation was the
answer, they felt peace had returned fully to Liberia therefore we should
return to our country, to encourage people to return they cut off food and some
other assistance except for children and women.
"It has been a difficult period. Most of us had to struggle for our own food,
cater for our family, many of us went into the agricultural sector, some went
into garri processing, men worked in the saw mill at Ijebu Ode all to make a
living, the work is hard but the financial returns is meager," he further
explained.
The camp commandant Lawrence Yegwa in an Interview with Thislife explained the
reason for the change of policy. "Previously the Liberians were given food
rations on a contnous basis, six kilogramme of rice and other food items cuts
across a child even born today. But after seven or eight years of continuos
assistance, it was stopped and it was considered as a regional decision to
rather teach somebody to fish instead of giving him a fish.
Thus, the decision now shifted and the emphasis was to encourage people to be
self reliant. Therefore, for the past four years the UNHCR decided to phase out
food assistance to Liberians, food assistance for the Sierra Leoneans who
joined the camp in 1997 was phased out in 2002," he explained.
However, he said food assistance was continued for the vulnerable, elderly,
single women and children while the other groups who are not involved always
complain.
The stopping of the food assistance has resulted in more impoverishment of the
refugees. As we moved round the camp, many of them approached us for financial
help saying they have no job.
Those who are mostly affected are the graduates who are looking for white
collar job.
Chairman of the Liberian refugees welfare council Fred Lamadine, a refugee told
Thislife that the location of the camp is an hindrance towards getting a good
job, means of livelihood is difficult as the town is isolated from the major
economic areas in the country.
What Lamadine want most is for peace to return to his country "first and
foremost, I want lasting peace in our country, and for now, resettlement of
refugees to a developed country. He however noted that the resettlement
programme is very slow in Nigeria.
Famo Kromah arrived the refuge camp in 1996, through the help of friends and
the Islamic Education Trust (IET). He successfully completed an economic degree
at the Ogun State University (OSU). He was given direct entry into year two
after he showed university authorities his transcript from his former school,
Ngela University College, Sierra Leone.
Since his graduation, he has been looking for job. He said all the places he
has been, preference was given to Nigerians, even when he is more qualified. He
recently got admission to study humanitarian and conflict studies at the
University of Ibadan (UI) but said he is looking for sponsorship to do the
programme.
And he said he has been managing on his own since the UNHCR stopped food
assistance, we've been seeking assistance.
Because of the difficulties being faced, Yegwa informed that UNHCR is
considering to restore the food assistance be continued again.
He explained that "when we scrapped the food aid we expect that people will
form themselves into groups and get some soft loans, get some facilities from
UN missions and establish a living.
"But this has become difficult, there is an expectation that some of them who
have benefited educationally should be able to get employment, this has also
become very difficult, considering the Nigerian Situation, where unemployment
is rather high.
So we have a lot of graduates here within the camp premises who are not
employed.
On resettlement of refugees to developed countries, and the complaint that
fewer refugees benefit from the programme in Nigeria compared to Ghana which
has a similar camp Yejwa explained that a country that is granting the
resettlement, informs the commission on the number of refugees it want and the
number of forms is given out.
He explained that 147 refugees included in the resettlement scheme to the
United States of America (USA) in 2001, while over 139 refugees were also
resettled in Australia and about 15 went to Canada. He said it is impossible
that a non refugee will go through the resettlement programme, because each
refugee has an identity card given by the International office of immigration,
and such person also attends an eligibility interview.
"Some of the camp residents still think those in charge of the camp have not
been fair in sharing out the resettlement forms, he said."
According to them at the Oru camp, it has been more of a selection process
based on who knows who. They are also not happy that sometimes majority of
people in the camp do not know the forms have been released until about a week
to the closure so by the time many people rush in with their letters the period
for the submission of the form is closed.
One of refugees who spoke with Thislife, insisted that the situation is not the
same in countries like Ghana and Gambia refugee camps. He said in those
countries, immediately the resettlement form is released, the officer takes the
form to the camp and immediately announce to everybody and distribute the forms
immediately.
The refugee is also allowed to go for the interview, and where he passes, the
coast is clear to start the resettlement process.
Resmond was an accountant in Sierra Leone before the war. After several years
at the refugee camp, she tried to get a job. She got one as an auditor with a
private company at Papa Ajao, near Mushin, Lagos but was owed salary at the end
of the month.
"They were treating me anyhow because I'm a refugee, I get part of my meagre
salary on the fifth, the remaining I may get on the 15th so I was discouraged
and left the job. I have two children to take care of, because of the job I
relocated to the Agado Ijaiye area of Lagos, when I left the job I returned to
the camp.
She said her efforts to get another job has been futile because "even when I'm
more qualified than other applicants who are Nigerians, one of them gets the
job, they tell me that there are millions of Nigerians out there and you are
coming for a job"
She said if you are more qualified, the job is given out based on who knows who
not on qualifications.
Her husband is also in the camp. He is studying for his masters in humanitarian
and conflict studies at the University of Ibadan.
On life at the camp Resmond says she is not satisfied with the quality of drugs
at the camp. According to her in many cases when people take the drugs, they
don't get better.
"People have been going to the camp hospitals and they have been crying of the
same problem from time to time," she complained.
Yegwa had earlier informed that the UNHCR has been providing medical supplies
on a monthly basis through another implementing partner- the Nigerian Red
Cross.
At the clinic there is a camp doctor who comes thrice in a week and a camp
nurse who is always around. He said emergency cases in the camp are referred to
either Ogun State University Teaching Hospital (OSUTH) or the State Hospital
Ijebu Ode.
She said that lack of quality foods also contribute to ill health in the camp,
"People have been going to the hospital to take these drugs including
antibiotics for these drugs to work, they need good food, but what we get from
the camp is six kilogrammes of rice, 1.5 kilogrammes of beans and a bottle of
oil on a quarterly basis.
She said in the camp there are educated women like her while more are still
studying courtesy of a university scholarship awarded strictly to women.
Sine there is no war in Sierra Leone at the moment does she plan to return to
her country. But she's quick to say that there is still war in Liberia there is
no peace in Siera Leone.
Explaining her reason, she said when in 1998, there was a cease fire in
Liberia, while camp officials encouraged Liberia to return to their country,
some went, today the problem has started again and they are becoming refugees
all over again.
She likens the case of Liberia and Sierra Leone to Siamese Twins, when one
sneezes the other catch cold. "In Sierra Leone we are seeing the situation as
if its a fragile peace, as long as there is no peace in Liberia there is no
peace in Sierra Leone". She stressed
At the moment Sierra Leone is facing refugee situation as to cause fresh crisis
thousands of Liberians are running into the country for shelter.
She is also afraid of an alleged threat of Liberian President, Charles Taylor
who is being accused of war crimes in Sierra Leone. He was reported to have
said that since Sierra Leone attempted to arrest him in Ghana and failed he
would meet Sierra Leone again.
He advised the UNCHR and the National Refugee Commission to de-emphasise the
belief that some refugees are overstaying their time, 'because you are
receiving more people do not mean you should send us to o and die".
Ayai Kual, a Sudanese has been on the camp since 1999 with his wife and
children. life has not been easy, "as we find what we can do for ourselves
everyday. I am a farmer, I also have a small poultry. My wife sells small
provisions."
Kual, who is the minority leader in the camp said the refugees have appealed to
UNHCR and other NGO's to assist in some self reliant programmes. It is not a
must that UNHCR will provide food for us all the time, at least we should be
given assistance with which we'll be able to sustain ourselves.
He said though they still give to women and children, it is not adequate: "If
they give this month, we may not see them again in the next four months.
Evelyn Johnson is a mother of two children aged six and two years. She said her
husband died in the Liberian war and is presently learning tailoring at the
vocational center being run by the Justice Development and Peace Commission
(JDPC) of the Catholic Diocese.
She also confirms that her major headache in the camp is economic empowerment.
"I do garri, sell rice and palm oil but these are still not enough, sometimes I
go out to beg to make ends meet.
There is also an unconfirmed allegation that some of the ladies in camp veered
into prostitution.
But we were told that if we come to the camp in the night we will see cars
driving in, some men will come to pick their girl friends".
Apart from the financial difficulties in camp, Kromah is concerned about
several youths in camp who cannot go to school, but rather loiter around.
"Many of the youth are doing nothing just wasting away, which is bad because
when we go back to our country, we'll need human resources to reconstruct our
country, where are we going to get that if our youth are not educated", he
asked.
Within the camp there is a primary school which admits all children and some
others from Oru, the host community, In addition, Yegwa said a large number of
the students are sponsored into the Secondary schools, because there are no
secondary school in camp, they go to secondary schools within the
neighbourhood.
He said for tertiary education, the UNHCR has a scholarship programme: "These
sponsorship have been able to contain Liberian students for the past 10 years
or more of their stay in Nigeria and so some Liberians have taken advantage of
this.
He informed that some of them are graduates of electrical Engineering,
accountancy and other related field. He said over 50 graduates have been
assisted over the years from the Liberians, while other refugees also got
educational assistance as they come in.

   

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