Groups Visit Benue IDP Camp, donate Mobile School, Library, render Free Medical Services 

From Attah Ede, Makurdi

Non-Governmental Organizations and other Humanitarian  Groups on Tuesday, organized a children’s day celebration at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Mega Camp located in Mbayongu, Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State where educational materials including mobile school  was donated to children of internally displaced persons.

Humanitarian organizations including K2U Games Limited, Smile Doctor Foundation, Offshore Lab, and their partners, carried out the gesture to mark the 2025 Children’s Day.

The event, filled with fun activities and educational support, was aimed at uplifting the spirits of displaced children and emphasizing their right to a hopeful future.

Mr. Martins Oloye, co-founder of K2U Games Limited, producers of African games and K2 African Offshore puzzles, explained that the team returned to the camp after an earlier visit where they conducted a puzzle competition. 

The goal, he said, was to expose the children to Africa’s rich heritage and provide tools that would inspire intellectual and personal growth.

“We noticed the children needed a few things,” Oloye said. “We reached out to our partners, including the Oando Foundation, and were able to establish a small library stocked with books. This isn’t just about fun. It’s about letting the children know they matter. They are not statistics or numbers. We want them to glimpse the world beyond this camp and believe in their potential.”

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He emphasized that the group’s efforts went beyond donating materials. “We brought thousands of notebooks, textbooks, and exercise books, but what matters most is the change in mindset. We want a child from this camp to say one day, ‘I passed through this library and became a doctor, a lawyer, an artist.”

In line with this mission, Emeka Obiwulu, CEO of Offshore Lab, introduced an innovative education solution known as School box. 

He described it as a rapid-response infrastructure system designed to combat the growing crisis of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

“With over 10.5 million children out of school, we are facing a national emergency,” Obiwulu stated. “Schoolbox uses recycled shipping containers to quickly set up classrooms, ICT labs, and sanitation facilities in areas where education has been disrupted. Within 7 to 14 days, we can equip any local government area with functional educational spaces.”

He thanked the Benue State government and other partners, including K2U and NNPC Limited, for supporting the pilot deployment at the camp. 

“The classroom here seats only 22 but serves over 1,000 children. It clearly isn’t enough. We’re hoping to scale this solution across all IDP camps and underserved areas in Nigeria.”

Also contributing to the event was Dr. Olufemilayo Adeniyi, Executive Director of Smile Doctor Foundation and founder of Luxe Dental Clinic, Lagos. She led an oral health outreach, distributing over 500 dental kits and teaching children how to maintain hygiene.

“As a foundation, we believe everyone deserves access to oral care,” she said. “It has been humbling to see over 3,000 families in this camp, in a country not at war. We must all rise to stop the root causes of this displacement. We are doing our bit, but this is just a drop in the ocean.”

Also speaking, the State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Mr. Aondowase Kunde, disclosed that IDPs were already returning home despite rising insecurity, stressing that there is ongoing reintegration efforts including the construction of boreholes in communities like Tatyough and the development of large-scale rice and maize farming for IDPs.

“Return, resettlement, and reintegration are the three pillars of our durable solution strategy,” Kunde said. “We are not resettling them in clusters but in structured communities where they’ll have access to social amenities and livelihoods.”

When asked if these efforts would be sustained amid recurring attacks, the commissioner said some communities remain secure and viable for return, adding that not all areas are under threat.

On his part, the Commissioner for Education and Knowledge Management, Dr. Frederick Ikyaan, said Governor Alia is committed to education, even within the camps. 

He highlighted the use of the Accelerated Basic Education Program, a federal initiative that offers learning in informal settings.

“It’s a stopgap that ensures our displaced children are not left behind,” Ikyaan said. “They’ll be able to reintegrate into the regular school system once they return home. It’s already shown promise in other regions.”

However, when pressed for data on how many schools had been shut down due to insecurity, Ikyaan declined to provide a specific figure. “The situation is fluid, and the numbers change rapidly. But we know that several local governments including Gwer West, Guma, Kwande, and Agatu have been badly affected,” he noted.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, James Iorpuu, represented by Mr. Donald Komgbenda, assured the IDPs of continued support. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to their welfare and safe return to ancestral lands.

Highlights of the celebration included cultural dances, March past puzzle game and other activities.

The event brought smiles, hope, and a renewed sense of purpose to hundreds of children, reminding all stakeholders that in the face of crisis, compassion and collaboration remain powerful tools for transformation.