By Perekeme Odon

A two-day psychological trauma clinic for Ukraine returnees has been launched in Abuja in an effort to assuage the terrible suffering of Nigerian returnees from Ukraine. The programme, which is an idea of Project Victory Call Initiative, also known as PVC-Naija, would be reproduced across the country's six geographic zones.

The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) is coordinating it in collaboration with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).

Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi, Convener/ President of Project Victory Call Initiative (PVC-Naija Initiative) and the project's initiator, said at the opening ceremony on Thursday at the State House Auditorium, Presidential Villa, that trauma evaluation and therapy became necessary because “when we have events that expose individuals to trauma, it is better that we nip them in the bud and that was what informed the idea of this project”.

Dr Akinyemi emphasised the importance of the program's prompt creation, stating that trauma has resulted in mental and socio-psychological issues. He commended the Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, the National Commissioner for NCFRMI, and the entire team for the program's initiative, and applauded both organisations for their quick response in embracing the initiative.
"I believe that you will get the needed help," Dr Akinyemi said, encouraging the returnees to open up during sessions with the experts, stating, "We're trusting that we will take this to all the regions so that people won't have to travel to get this." He also informed the returnees that the PVC Initiative's services would be free and available to any and all returnees at no expense to the government.

NIDCOM CEO, Hon. Dr Dabiri-Erewa commended Dr Akinyemi’s effort that stating, “The passion with which he said we must do this for them, I agreed with him completely.”

The NiDCOM boss stated that she immediately contacted the Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Hajiya Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim who said, “We must do this as quickly as possible.”

Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa also expressed her displeasure with the profiling and imprisonment of Nigerians and other Africans in Polish detention centres, saying that it is highly “unacceptable and reprehensible.”

She noted that, despite President Mohammadu Buhari's efforts to ensure that Nigerians caught up in the conflict returned home, some chose to remain in countries such as Poland, stressing that the most appropriate action for Poland to take would be to return them to their countries rather than detain them in tortuous detention centres.

The NiDCOM chief confirmed that the two-day clinic was only the beginning of what will be an ongoing exercise across the country's six geopolitical zones. NiDCOM has also collaborated with The Sunshine Series to provide a 24-hour helpline (#112) for returnees in need of counselling.

“We tend to ignore our mental health but mental health is key." Says Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Federal Commissioner, Refugees Commission. “As Nigerians, we have a lot of resilience we have that ability, but not everybody has the same threshold when it comes to resilience and hence the need for this particular platform so that those that need extra support or extra care and assistance, can be able to access it”.

The NCFRMI, according to Hajiya Sulaiman-Ibrahim, is the government's primary organ for rehabilitation, relocation, and integration, and psychosocial support is at the heart of rehabilitation.

She went on to say that NCFRMI has offices in 14 different locations and that they are willing to make their offices available to ensure that the Project Victory Call Initiative (PVC) team and academic specialists collaborate to make this counselling available to returnees.

Mr Fehintola Damilola Moses, President of Nigerian Students in Ukraine, thanked President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. (Dr.) Abike Dabiri-Erewa and the team of the Nigerian in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Nigerian Ambassador to Ukraine Shina Feege, Nigerian diaspora organizations, NGOs and all other government agencies for their quick response and rescue of the students from Ukraine.
He described how horrible the situation was and recalled the terrifying experiences that most of the returnees had during the war between Russia and Ukraine. From spending nights in an insufficient bunker without power to being racially profiled in some cases to facing food scarcity and having to travel for days without stopping in order to escape the war. "We had to boil snow to drink the water due to a lack of water," he explained.

The Vice-Chancellor, Senate, and Management of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto and the University of Jos released experts assembled by PVC-Naija for psychological trauma evaluation and counselling.

Dr. Abdulsalam Halimatu Sa'adiya, Dr. Mustapha Ahmad, Dr. Attahiru Abusufyan, Prof. Mufutau Yunusa, and Mrs. Moses Unongu of the NCFRMI are among the experts.