The House of Representatives, has called for a comprehensive report on the statistics of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria as well as those in neighbouring countries who were also displaced by natural disasters.
Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Benjamin Kalu 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.
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.
“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”, he said.
In his remarks, 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”, he said.
