The House of Representatives said adequate legislative interventions were necessary to resettle Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who have been affected by natural disasters.
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu gave this indication during a courtesy call on him by the federal commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs, Ahmed Tijani Ahmed, in Abuja.
Kalu, in a statement by his chief press secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, called for a comprehensive report on the statistics of the IDPs in Nigeria and neighbouring countries who were also displaced by natural disasters.
He attributed some of the displacements to the impact of natural disasters such as flooding and erosion, which are mainly occasioned by climate change. He said the legislature was interested in the data on the total national NEEDS analysis on IDPs.
Kalu also said that some Nigerians forced to migrate across the borders by the effects of natural occurrences on their villages and communities are eager to be resettled.
The deputy speaker also noted the huge effects of erosion in Abia, Anambra, Enugu, and other states in the South East, saying the menace of ecological challenges needed urgent attention from the federal government.
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.
“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 the oversight function. So, get us a report on that.
“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 can understand the enormous nature of your mandate.”
In his remarks, the federal commissioner, Ahmed, expressed gratitude to the Deputy Speaker and pledged to make the report available to the parliament within the given two weeks deadline even as he appealed for more funding for 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 the 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.
