The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has promised to end the existence of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps within 18 months if elected president in the 2027 general elections.
Obi made the pledge on Tuesday in Jos, the Plateau State capital, while assuring residents that his administration would prioritise security and protect Nigerians from violence and displacement.
He said Nigerians should consider his government a failure if anyone remained in an IDP camp after one year and six months in office.
The former Anambra State governor also stressed the need to rebuild national unity, expressing concern over divisions along ethnic and religious lines.
“Our commitment is to unite Nigeria because today there is no unity, we are divided along tribal lines, religious lines, and that should not be, we are Nigerians,” he said.
Obi identified security as another major priority, promising to address killings and attacks in states such as Plateau and Benue.
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“Number two is to secure Nigeria, it’s our priority to ensure that Nigerians live in safety. In a place like Plateau and Benue where people are being killed daily, I assure you that no mother will cry again for her children, I assure you that no woman will feel the pain of losing a husband, neither will the father feel the pain of losing a wife.
“I have said it, and I will repeat it that after one year to 18 months in office, if any Nigerian remains in an IDP camp, we have failed,” he said.
The NDC candidate said his visits to communities affected by violence had given him an understanding of the suffering experienced by residents.
He specifically mentioned Bokkos, Mangu and Barkin Ladi in Plateau State, claiming that no other presidential candidate had visited the areas.
Obi also promised to tackle kidnapping, particularly attacks involving the abduction of schoolchildren.
“Let me assure you that with Kwankwaso and I as the president and vice president of this country, nobody will kidnap school children and go into the bush,” he said.