Nigerian Legislature Moves to Ease Plights of IDPs

The Nigerian Legislature says it is committed to providing durable solutions to ease the plight of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, and all persons of concern in the country.

Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas stated this when he visited one of the IDPs camps in Kabusa, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to celebrate his birthday.

He said visiting the IDPs camp was an eye opener as that had given him a first-hand knowledge and information of the condition of the Displaced Persons.

 “This is the first time since I became Speaker to visit such kind of settlement. It’s good that my advisers chose this particular place for us to visit so that we can see more, rather than just listening to what our representatives are telling us about your plight. I saw it on my way, right from the main road, to this place the kind of life that the people of this settlement are facing”, he said.

According to him, it is not going to be business as usual, as the legislative Arm of the government will do everything possible to ensure that the 2025 budget captures issues surrounding Persons of Concern so as to give them some sense of belonging in the society.

He therefore urged leaders at all levels of governance to realign their priorities towards poverty alleviation projects to improve the standards of living of the masses.

He further noted that his visit was not to pay lip service to the IDPs as most leaders do, but vowed that he’ll fulfill every promise he made.

 I’ve come to say ‘ thank you for being patient, thank you for being supportive to our government, thank you for always listening to our government and thank you for being faithful to our government. Our government is not blind, we’re aware of your plight. We can feel your sadness, we can feel your sorrows, we know what you’re going through and we’ll do everything humanly possible to bring succour to your lives, to bring hope to your lives, 

 “I want to assure you that the House of Representatives and by extension the National Assembly will not allow things to continue the way we see it”. 

Mr Abbas salutes the strength and resilience of the IDPs.

The Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Tijjani Aliyu emphasizes that the Commission will continue to collaborate with stakeholders to strive for innovative and sustainable solutions for all persons of concern.

He said the plight and number of IDPs in Nigeria calls for sober reflection.

 “In Nigeria today, we have over 6 million people forcibly displaced due to terrorism, banditry, farmer-herder and communal clashes as well as climate induced displacement. The recent catastrophic flooding in Maiduguri has further affected another one million persons and displaced over 300,000 people reversing the gains of resettlement and rehabilitation of IDPs in North-East Nigeria”, he said.

According to the Federal Commissioner, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, the Commission is working assiduously to provide the necessary support for the displaced population and to ensure that durable solutions are achieved.

 “One of our key interventions is the Renewed Hope Agricultural Empowerment Programme for IDPs. This programme was launched in July 2024 in 3 states;  Nasarawa, Plateau and Borno”. 

He also disclosed that the Commission had entered a strategic partnership with the Nigerian Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) to further expand livelihoods restoration through agriculture for IDPs and other persons of concern.

 “We have also begun the process of building vocational and skills acquisition centres with fully equipped boarding facilities in each of the six geopolitical zones. These centres are aimed at producing a large crop of skilled IDPs that are empowered and self-sufficient. We believe that the restoration of livelihoods through the provision of skills training is the bedrock of durable solutions”. 

Tijjani Aliyu commended the Speaker of the House of Representatives for his show of love and support and also thanked President Bola Tinubu for his strong political will, unwavering commitment, and prioritization of a holistic support towards the welfare of Persons of Concern in Nigeria.

The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons also conducted a medical outreach for the IDPs and people living in the host communities as well as distribution of food and nonfood items to the IDPs.

Dominica Nwabufo