Reps will support resettlement plans for IDPs, says Dogara
Reps will support resettlement plans for IDPs, says Dogara
NAN News Agency of Nigeria, 23 Nov 2015
URL: http://nannewsnigeria.com/reps-will-support-resettlement-plans-idps-says-dogara
NAN-H-48
IDPs
Abuja, Nov. 23, 2015 (NAN) Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, said on Monday that the legislature would provide support needed in addressing the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS) in the North-East.
Dogara gave the assurance in Abuja at a sensitisation workshop with the theme ``The Role of Parliamentarians in Addressing Internal Displacement Challenges in Nigeria’’.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop was organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS) in collaboration with the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
Dogara said that as legislators, it was their duty to protect, provide and advocate on behalf of the IDPs as they were also citizens of the country with the right to basic needs.
He said that addressing the needs of IDPs brought about creating a standing committee on IDPs, Refugees and North-East Initiatives.
He said that the National Assembly had made contributions to fighting terrorism and displacements over the years.
The speaker said that the lawmakers did that by speedily passing the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act to aid the Executive in its anti-terrorism measures.
``The National Assembly has always supported all budgetary requests from the Executive to fight terrorism.
``Today’s event offers the opportunity to reinstate the fact that there is no adequate legal framework for handling issues of internal displacement.
``Even though Nigeria, at the Executive level, has ratified the African Union Convention for the Protection of IDPs (Kampala Convention), it has not been domesticated by the legislature,’’ he said.
He called on President Muhammad Buhari to transmit to the National Assembly an executive bill on it and other relevant treaties for domestication.
``The Journey towards creating a standing committee to handle exclusively, issues of IDPs, Refugees, Stateless Persons, and matters relating to their rehabilitation, recovery, and resettlement started from the House Legislative Agenda.
``The final push came from the recent visit of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to the house and their present advocacy on legislative engagements on IDPs and related issues.
``I am delighted that today’s event vindicates our good intentions in constituting this committee and the deliberate choice of its chairman to lead this noble effort,’’ he said.
Earlier, Ms Angele Dikongue-Atangana, UN High Commissioner for Refugee to Nigeria, commended the 8th Assembly for its commitment in giving a renewed energy to the vision of responding to displacement crisis.
She said that UNHCR had come a long way in the advocacy of the domestication of the Kampala Convention and would continue to support the ongoing efforts for its domestication in Nigeria.
Dikongue-Atangana advocated the establishment of effective national protection system to address the plight of internal displacement and national response by developing an appropriate legal framework backed by proper enforcement.
She said that it was on this that UNHCR and IPU partnered to develop a handbook for parliamentarians on Internal Displacement to establish the framework for action.
``This event offers the unique opportunity to examine the internal displacement crisis in the North-East and to highlight the plight of the IDPs.
``It also affords the opportunity to introduce the handbook and to underscore the role of parliamentarians in ensuring that internal displacement is properly addressed at the national level through appropriate legislative action.
``UNHCR is ever committed to supporting the collective efforts to address the situation of internal displacement,’’ she said.
In a remark, Mrs Ladi Hamalai, Director-General, National Institute for Legislative Studies, said that the displacement situation in the country was becoming more complex with the current displacement population standing at 2.2 million.
She called on Nigerians, including organisations, ‘’to either start or support existing actions that will stop and mitigate the catastrophe in the North-East’’. (NAN)
LIZ/AMM/DO/OPI
IDPs
Abuja, Nov. 23, 2015 (NAN) Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, said on Monday that the legislature would provide support needed in addressing the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS) in the North-East.
Dogara gave the assurance in Abuja at a sensitisation workshop with the theme ``The Role of Parliamentarians in Addressing Internal Displacement Challenges in Nigeria’’.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop was organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS) in collaboration with the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
Dogara said that as legislators, it was their duty to protect, provide and advocate on behalf of the IDPs as they were also citizens of the country with the right to basic needs.
He said that addressing the needs of IDPs brought about creating a standing committee on IDPs, Refugees and North-East Initiatives.
He said that the National Assembly had made contributions to fighting terrorism and displacements over the years.
The speaker said that the lawmakers did that by speedily passing the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act to aid the Executive in its anti-terrorism measures.
``The National Assembly has always supported all budgetary requests from the Executive to fight terrorism.
``Today’s event offers the opportunity to reinstate the fact that there is no adequate legal framework for handling issues of internal displacement.
``Even though Nigeria, at the Executive level, has ratified the African Union Convention for the Protection of IDPs (Kampala Convention), it has not been domesticated by the legislature,’’ he said.
He called on President Muhammad Buhari to transmit to the National Assembly an executive bill on it and other relevant treaties for domestication.
``The Journey towards creating a standing committee to handle exclusively, issues of IDPs, Refugees, Stateless Persons, and matters relating to their rehabilitation, recovery, and resettlement started from the House Legislative Agenda.
``The final push came from the recent visit of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to the house and their present advocacy on legislative engagements on IDPs and related issues.
``I am delighted that today’s event vindicates our good intentions in constituting this committee and the deliberate choice of its chairman to lead this noble effort,’’ he said.
Earlier, Ms Angele Dikongue-Atangana, UN High Commissioner for Refugee to Nigeria, commended the 8th Assembly for its commitment in giving a renewed energy to the vision of responding to displacement crisis.
She said that UNHCR had come a long way in the advocacy of the domestication of the Kampala Convention and would continue to support the ongoing efforts for its domestication in Nigeria.
Dikongue-Atangana advocated the establishment of effective national protection system to address the plight of internal displacement and national response by developing an appropriate legal framework backed by proper enforcement.
She said that it was on this that UNHCR and IPU partnered to develop a handbook for parliamentarians on Internal Displacement to establish the framework for action.
``This event offers the unique opportunity to examine the internal displacement crisis in the North-East and to highlight the plight of the IDPs.
``It also affords the opportunity to introduce the handbook and to underscore the role of parliamentarians in ensuring that internal displacement is properly addressed at the national level through appropriate legislative action.
``UNHCR is ever committed to supporting the collective efforts to address the situation of internal displacement,’’ she said.
In a remark, Mrs Ladi Hamalai, Director-General, National Institute for Legislative Studies, said that the displacement situation in the country was becoming more complex with the current displacement population standing at 2.2 million.
She called on Nigerians, including organisations, ‘’to either start or support existing actions that will stop and mitigate the catastrophe in the North-East’’. (NAN)
LIZ/AMM/DO/OPI