The House of Representatives Committee on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Refugees, says it will support the Federal Government to tackle the issue of IDPs through legislation.

The committee Chairman, Rep. Sani Zoro, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday.

According to him, the plight of IDPs can be addressed only through viable legislation.

“The house is helping with respect to the plight of IDPs by way of lawmaking because we are lawmakers.

I have sponsored a bill that will amend the Act establishing the National Commission for Refugees.

It is now to provide for National Commission for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Refugees, Migrants and Stateless People because these are people categorised as people of concern,’’ Zoro said.

He called on the Federal Government to adopt a national policy on IDPs, adding that this would further boost efforts already being made to evolve a permanent solution to the problem of IDPs.

“We, as lawmakers are also encouraging the executive arm of government to adopt officially a national IDP policy.

“Nigeria has, by our efforts, been developing an IDP policy since 2009. In 2012 it was reviewed even in 2015, it was reviewed but it has not been adopted by government.

“This is one of the ways we will support and jump start the attainment of a durable solution through legislation,’’ Zoro said.

 

It will be recalled that Zoro and his counterpart, Rep. Edward Pwajok, Chairman, House Committee on Human Rights, met with the National Human Rights Commission and the National Emergency Management Agency.
The meeting was to further evolve ways to tackle the issue of IDPs in the country.

(NAN)