The Political Commission of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is finalizing plans with several political parties, humanitarian foundations, and civil society organizations to launch WENFOY — a global fundraising charity concert series targeted at supporting Nigeria’s internally displaced persons (IDPs).
WENFOY, an acronym for “We’ve Not Forgotten You,” is envisioned as a nationwide and international platform that will bring together leading musicians, sports figures, global celebrities, and influential political voices to raise transparent and institutionally managed funds for millions of displaced Nigerians affected by years of insurgency, banditry, and communal conflict.
According to the interim National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Prince Tony Akeni, the initiative draws inspiration from the 1985 “We Are the World” USA-for-Africa project, which successfully mobilized global support for famine victims in Ethiopia.
Addressing Nigeria’s Humanitarian Crisis
The NLC said it remains deeply concerned about the welfare and safety of Nigerian workers and their families, especially in frontline states plagued by insecurity. The WENFOY initiative, it noted, forms part of broader efforts to support the Federal Government in tackling the humanitarian and economic fallout of widespread displacement.
Funds raised through WENFOY will be managed by a board of eminent public figures and allocated to education for displaced children, medical support, livelihood training, and provision of low-cost housing units such as container homes for victims living in camps.
The project also incorporates a specialized programme, the Inter-Party Committee for Census, Homeland Return, Resettlement & Sustainable Security of Internally Displaced Persons of Nigeria (IPAC-CHRRESS). This committee aims to assist the government in conducting a credible nationwide IDP census and developing a phased, secure resettlement blueprint, in partnership with global agencies including the UNHCR, Red Cross, Red Crescent, and interfaith bodies.
A recent UNHCR situation report (June 2025) placed Nigeria’s IDP population at 8.18 million, surpassing the combined refugee figures of four West African countries — Burkina Faso, Republic of Niger, Mali, and Cameroon — which collectively host 7.99 million displaced people.
The report noted that the figure excludes nomadic populations and unregistered urban migrants, who represent an additional but unquantified demographic within the country’s humanitarian burden.
Focus on Bakassi Refugees
Beyond insurgency-induced displacement, the WENFOY/IPAC-CHRRESS project will also extend humanitarian support to Bakassi refugees whose plight persists years after the ceding of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon in 2008. As of 2022, at least 400,633 Bakassi indigenes had crossed into Nigeria seeking refuge, with 336,862 Nigerian refugees documented in neighbouring countries as of March 2023.
Labour Party Denies Internal Crisis
Meanwhile, the Labour Party has dismissed claims of internal rifts within the interim leadership led by Senator Nenadi Usman. According to Akeni, rumours suggesting arbitrary removal or replacement of National Working Committee members are unfounded.
He reiterated that the Labour Party remains the only political party in Nigeria founded by a national institution — the NLC — and is therefore bound by its constitution and democratic ethos rather than individual ambitions.
Akeni also addressed concerns that lists of congress committees and interim state executives were being infiltrated by allies of the dissolved Julius Abure-led leadership or members of opposition parties. He assured party members that such attempts at infiltration would be resisted to safeguard the party’s integrity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He described elements attempting to reintroduce “the worst era of retrogression” under the former leadership as “political herdsmen” whose influence, he said, had already been curtailed by the Supreme Court judgment of April 4.
Outlook
As preparations for the WENFOY charity concerts advance, organizers express optimism that the initiative will not only improve living conditions for IDPs but also strengthen Nigeria’s credibility in addressing insecurity — potentially reducing the risk of foreign military intervention in the country.
