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…As Labour Party Reassures Supporters: “No Cracks in the Party”

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Political Commission has announced that it is in advanced discussions with multiple political parties, humanitarian organizations, foundations and civil society groups to launch an ambitious global fundraising campaign tagged the WENFOY Charity Concerts, a nationwide and international initiative aimed at mobilizing support for the country’s 8.18 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).

The initiative—WENFOY, an acronym for “We’ve Not Forgotten You”—is being championed by the NLC’s Political Commission, which oversees activities of the Labour Party. It is designed to rally local and international celebrities, including top-rated musicians, sports icons and influential public figures, for charity concerts modeled after the historic 1985 “We Are the World” humanitarian effort by U.S. artists to support famine victims in Ethiopia.

According to Prince Tony Akeni, Labour Party National Publicity Secretary (Interim) and Founding Consultant/Executive Director of WENFOY, the project aims to draw global attention to the deepening plight of Nigeria’s IDPs, many of whom have been forced from their homes by insurgency, banditry, extremist violence and land-grab attacks across the North, Middle Belt and other affected regions.

The NLC explained that proceeds from the concerts will be managed by an independent board of eminent Nigerians and channeled towards providing education, healthcare, livelihood skills, low-cost housing and other essential support to displaced families. The initiative will also prioritize returning victims safely to their ancestral homelands under structured, transparent and internationally supported programmes.

A key component of the initiative is the Inter-Party Committee for Census, Homeland Return, Resettlement & Sustainable Security of Internally Displaced Persons of Nigeria (IPAC-CHRRESS), a WENFOY affiliate that will work with the Federal Government, UNHCR, Red Cross, Red Crescent, civil society organizations and other global agencies to conduct a credible IDP census, develop a phased resettlement blueprint and strengthen transparency in humanitarian interventions.

The NLC emphasized that the WENFOY project is designed not only to complement the Federal Government’s security and humanitarian efforts but also to help Nigeria rebuild international confidence in its handling of insurgency, banditry and religious persecution. Ultimately, the initiative hopes to reduce the likelihood of foreign military intervention by accelerating domestic solutions to Nigeria’s worsening displacement crisis.

Citing the UNHCR’s June 2025 situation report, the NLC noted that Nigeria’s 8.18 million IDPs surpass the combined displaced populations of Burkina Faso, Niger Republic, Mali and Cameroon, accounting for nearly 44% of West Africa’s total displaced persons. The report further observed that nomadic pastoralists and unregistered urban migrants—considered part of Nigeria’s humanitarian shadows—are not included in the figure.

The WENFOY/IPAC-CHRRESS project will also extend support to long-neglected groups, such as Bakassi refugees, whose displacement persists years after the ceding of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon. UNHCR records show that as recently as 2022, more than 400,000 Bakassi indigenes re-entered Nigeria as recognized refugees.

Labour Party: “No Cracks in the House”

Addressing rumours of internal divisions, Prince Akeni dismissed claims of cracks within the Labour Party’s Senator Nenadi Usman–led interim council. He stressed that the Labour Party remains the only institutional political party in Nigeria—founded by the NLC, not by private individuals—and therefore cannot be subjected to arbitrary power plays or unilateral actions alien to its constitution.

Akeni assured party faithful across the states that concerns over alleged infiltration of interim congress committees by remnants of the defunct Julius Abure leadership or by agents of rival parties were being taken seriously. He vowed that no attempts to undermine the party’s integrity or derail its march toward the 2027 elections would succeed.

He maintained that the era of “mega corruption” within the party had ended with the Supreme Court’s April 4 judgment and affirmed that elements bent on sabotaging the Labour Party’s progress would be defeated by “the power of light and truth.”

As the Labour Party rallies partners for the WENFOY humanitarian project and prepares internally for future political contests, Prince Akeni reiterated that the party’s core values—justice, fairness, equality and institutional discipline—remain intact.

The WENFOY global concerts are expected to be formally unveiled in the coming months.

StreetReporters.ng

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