Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu has called for a comprehensive report on the statistics of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria as well as those in the neighbouring countries who were also displaced by natural disasters.
He made the call during a courtesy call on him by the Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees Migrants and IDPs, Ahmed Tijani Ahmed in Abuja Wednesday evening.
Kalu who attributed some of the displacements to the impact of natural disasters such as flooding and erosion mainly occasioned by climate change said that the parliament is interested in the data on the total national NEEDS analysis on IDPs.
He also said that some Nigerians forced to migrate across the borders by the effect of the natural occurrences on their villages and communities are eager to be resettled, stressing that adequate legislative interventions are therefore necessary to achieve the objective.
The Deputy Speaker also noted the huge effects of erosion in Abia, Anambra, Enugu and other States in the South East, saying that the menace of ecological challenges needed urgent attention of the federal government.
Stating that the House recently suspended plenary sessions to embark on massive oversight engagements to ascertain the performance of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the government on budget implementation, the Deputy Speaker added that it also falls within the jurisdiction of the parliament to review the budgetary allocations of the agencies for the good of the people.
He said: “Your mandate includes refugees and the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). You can’t be internally displaced only through war or crisis. You can be internally displaced through climate induced displacement and that’s what we are experiencing now.
“The climate is at war with us. So, the issue of mitigation, adaptation is something that as government, we must take seriously but in doing that, agencies like you who manage the consequences of these climate impacts need to be aware that it’s beyond the visibility we are seeing that’s given to it currently.
“We heard of what happened in Maiduguri. I mentioned it even before the African Union (AU). Beyond Maiduguri, a lot more is happening around the country.
“Those people are chased out of their homes and when they are chased out who handles them? It’s your Commission. Then how prepared are you? I checked your budget last year, I was wondering if that budget, in view of what we are seeing now, the impact of this climate change, if a budget of N1.6 billion or thereabout will be able to handle that across the country.
“And I have not heard your agency bring it to the fore both in the parliament and also to Nigerians maybe through a documentary to show us the volume of the NEEDS analysis, showcasing the plight of Nigerians.
“There are so many people suffering due to climate change. The parliament needs to hear from you on the total national NEEDS analysis on internally displaced persons. And the impact of climate induced displacement. We need to get a document on that.
“We are charging your Commission to give us the total report on the plight of Nigerians currently all across the country. So, let the Commission have an intervention fund dedicated to do the proper NEEDS analysis so that as we do the budget, we look into it. This is part of oversight function. So, get us a report on that.
“Having said that, it is still our responsibility and that of your agency to know that Nigerians who were displaced and found themselves across the boarders especially our nearby countries and became refugees in those countries, they fall into your core mandate. Now, these people who are in those countries. Our last finding is that they want to come back home, because they fall under your mandate, you need to bring them home.
“These are some of the conversations that the parliament is interested in with your office and I hope by the time we meet again, you will able to feed us more details we can work with.
“We are giving you two weeks to bring the report because we want it to guide us as we make our budget. Also a copy of that will be sent to the Budget Office of the federation so they will understand the enormous nature of your mandate.”
In his remarks, the Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees Migrants and IDPs, Ahmed Tijani Ahmed expressed gratitude to the Deputy Speaker, pledging to make the report available to the parliament within the given two weeks deadline even as he appealed for more funding of the Commission.
“We thank you for giving us this audience today and I have listened carefully. We will ensure that these individuals who are our own are returned. We will put the reports together, both the refugees and displaced persons, to show the parliament and for you to also see the plight of the commission in area of funding. I’m sure Mr. President and the National Assembly will look into the plight of the commission and see that these issues are resolved”, Ahmed said.
