Philip Nyam 
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has assured the United Nations that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is taking deliberate and effective steps to address the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria.
He gave this assurance during a high-level United Nations Special Online event on Wednesday to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Internally Displaced Persons, where he featured as one of the esteemed panelists.
Kalu highlighted the government’s concerted efforts to domesticate the Kampala Convention, a pivotal regional treaty designed to protect and assist IDPs.
He emphasized that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has proactively activated key components of the treaty to significantly enhance the living conditions of IDPs.
Kalu further informed the UN that the National Assembly of Nigeria is diligently finalizing legislation to provide legal backing to the treaty.
He assured that upon securing presidential assent, the States of the Federation will also adopt the legislation, ensuring a unified approach to addressing IDP issues nationwide.
He said: “I am humbled to make my contributions about legislative activities and perspectives that we have on this particular issue, particularly regarding concrete steps taken by my country in addressing the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Our country, Nigeria, believes strongly in these principles.
“The ones that are on the front burner for us as we activate issues around the IDPs are: Principle One, which is protection from arbitrary displacement; Principle Three, which is protection during this displacement; Principle Ten, which is the right to know the fate or whereabouts of relatives; and Principle Twenty-Eight, which is the right to be returned or resettled.
“These are the ones on the front burner. We also believe in other principles, which form the bedrock of the Kampala Convention.
“Our target is that these principles become active in our country by ensuring that the Kampala Convention, which we’ve ratified, is domesticated in our laws.
“Nigeria, after ratifying it, leaving it as it is, is not enough. The next step is to ensure that it is domesticated. To do that, we’ve taken it upon ourselves.
“Personally, I proposed the enactment into our laws and sponsored it in the House of Representatives because I believe in the potency of those principles. They can only be active in Nigeria if they are made a part of our laws, especially concerning arbitrary displacement and upholding the human rights of these Internally Displaced Persons, and working in partnership with organizations like yours to make sure they are well taken care of.
“I proposed a bill, it has been approved by the House of Representatives and has moved to the Senate for concurrence.
“The Senate report is ready and will be considered when we are back from our recess on April 29. After that, the National Assembly Clerk will take it to the President for assent.”
Kalu also revealed that the government, through the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria (NCFRMI), has improved the lives of the IDPs by resettling about 300 of them, particularly in Keffi, Nasarawa, and Kano States, with the delivery of over 40 new homes.
“Having said that, the executive, on their part, has taken some steps to make sure that the lives of Internally Displaced Persons are being taken care of through the development of a national policy on IDPs.
“This has been done to ensure that activities around the IDPs are governed by a framework. The government, also through legislative intervention, has provided for a commission for the protection and rehabilitation of IDPs, and we call it NCFRMI as a result of a Bill we passed in 2022 to strengthen it.
“The objective of the commission is to serve as an institutional framework to coordinate resettlement, handle rehabilitation, and look at livelihood restoration initiatives for communities affected by conflicts or displacement.
“The commission, we must commend, has taken steps to ensure that the objectives of the establishment of the commission are achieved.
“We have the Keffi example and the Kano State example, which demonstrate concrete progress in the resettlement and livelihood of these displaced persons.
“These efforts are targeted towards integrating the affected communities into sustainable economic activities and creating a blueprint for a nationwide rehabilitation approach.
“The commission has established what we call the resettlement city and has used that resettlement city in Keffi to absorb almost 300 internally displaced people.
“They have also handed over, in the last few days, 40 brand new homes, and the Chairman of this particular commission is promising that more will be done in the coming days. This means that the government is committed to ensuring that the lives and livelihoods of these IDPs are well taken care of,” Kalu said.
