Tag Archives: Internally displaced persons

Laws Protecting Rights Of IDPs Will Be Enacted Soon – Dogara

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The House of Representatives is putting legislative structures in place to ensure protection of the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), Speaker, Mr Yakubu Dogara, has assured.

 

A statement signed by Turaki Hassan, Special Adviser, Media/Public Affairs to the Speaker, said Dogara gave the assurance when received a delegation from the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR).

 

The statement was issued to newsmen on Monday in Abuja.

 

Dogara said that efforts were on top gear by relevant committees in the House to ensure that Nigeria domesticate and ratify the UN Kampala treaty on the rights of refugees.

 

He said that the committees would soon conclude work on the document and submit it at plenary for further legislative action.

 

He said that the bill for the establishment of the proposed North-East Commission and the Kampala Commission were also before the committees.

 

He added the report of the committees would be brought before the House during plenary for consideration.

 

“Hopefully we will pass it and in no distant time, it will be ratified,” he said.

 

The speaker told the delegation that in recognition of the plight of IDPs and the need to rehabilitate and resettle them, the House constituted a committee on IDPs.

He said that the House would not support the call for over 2 million displaced persons to return to their communities until adequate security was provided in the affected areas.

 

“There is no way we can do that unless we bring the conflict to an end; it makes no sense for anybody to insist that IDPs should go back
to their communities.

“Chances are there that they may be attacked if conditions that gave rise to the crisis are not totally eliminated,” he said.

Dogara said that democracy would not thrive in Nigeria if the lives of the citizens were not secured.

 

“As it is said, democracy is a promise that deals with life and the pursuit of happiness.

“All other promises of democracy cannot come through unless there is life. That is the most important promise of democracy,” he added.

 

Earlier, leader of the UNHCR delegation, Mr Volke Turk, stressed the need for the government to find solution to the challenges facing the IDPs.

Turk is the Assistant High? Commissioner in charge of Protection of Rights of Refugees and IDPs.

He urged the speaker to expedite action to ensure that Nigeria domesticate and ratify the UN convention on the protection of the rights of refugees in the

According to him, ratification of the treaty will be `extremely valuable contribution’ to the protection of the rights of refugees.

 

 

(NAN)

Buhari Visits IDPs In Yola, Restates Commitment To Ending Boko Haram Insurgency

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President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated his administration’s commitment to ending Boko Haram insurgency.

Buhari, in Hausa language, gave the assurance while addressing Internally Displaced (IDPs) in Malkohi Camp in Yola on Friday.

 

“We remain committed to ending Boko Haram, ensuring your safety and welfare, particularly your children and their education. By the grace of God, it’s our wish that you will be at your farm next cropping season”, Buhari said.

 

Buhari assured the IDPs that government would not only recover their areas but also help in rebuilding destroyed structures particular schools and hospitals.

 

He lauded Adamawa Government, NEMA and other organisations for their effective handling of the IDPs and assured them of sustained Federal Government’s support.

 

Gov. Muhammadu Jibrilla of Adamawa lauded NEMA for its effort in managing the IDPs in collaboration with the State Government and called for sustained support from Federal Government.

 

Responding on behalf of the IDPs, Mr Nicholas Samuel thanked government for showing concern for their plight and making them to feel at home.

 

Samuel, who prayed for sustained military victory over the insurgents, expressed their happiness and hopes to return home very soon.

 

(NAN)

Borno to re-open public schools

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Borno State Government is set to reopen public schools in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

 

As part of effort to open these schools, which are now accommodating Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from all parts of the state, the state governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, has constituted a 13-man committee to work out modalities for their reopening.

 

Primary and secondary schools in the state have been shut for over a year now with students due to series of attacks by the Boko Haram insurgents which left 22 of the 27 local governments in the state captured.

 

 

Though Maiduguri, the state capital was never captured by the insurgents, many primary and secondary schools in the capital have become homes to thousands of IDPs and making it difficult for classes to hold in the city.

 

There has been agitations for the reopening of the schools for sometimes now, with the state government always having to promise to get students back to schools without any concrete action.

 

But with the constitution of a committee to work out the modalities for the reopening of the schools, the schools are expected to be opened for classes in Maiduguri at the beginning of next academic session when the students might have lost two academic sessions.

 

The state government in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Usman Jidda Shuwa at the weekend said the committee has been given three weeks within which to submit its report to the government, after which an action would be taken on the reopening of the schools.

 

 

The terms of reference of the committee include: identifying the total number of public schools and advise government on how best these schools could be effectively used for academic activities.

 

The committee is expected to take into consideration those schools currently accommodating IDPs as well as evaluate how best the Internally Displaced students/pupils at the camps and those staying with relatives in the host communities could appropriately be sent to the existing public schools in the state capital.

 

The committee is also expected to make recommendations on how the State Universal Basic Education Board should post relevant teaching staff to secondary and primary schools in view of the existing conditions.

 

The committee is equally tasked with the responsibility of liaising with security agencies on provision of adequate security to the IDPs and the schools when reopened and to recommend measures that it may find necessary for the effective and smooth achievement of the set objectives.

 

The committee will be chaired by Alhaji Gambo Gubio and has as members other notable personalities in the state, including Dr. Bulama Mali Gubio, Alhaji Haruna Idrisa Timta, Alhaji Musa Inuwa Kubo, Alhaji Abubakar Musa, Alhaji Lawan Shettima Benisheikh, Mohammed Kauji, among others.

 

Source : Daily Post