Why Reps created IDPs committee - Zorro
The House of Representatives resolve to create a standing committee on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) because it wanted the activities of the affected persons to be adequately organized, streamlined and taken care of, Rep Sani Zorro has said.
The House had on Wednesday adopted a motion by Rep Emmanuel Yisa OrkerJev (APC, Benue), which sought the creation of the committee.
Speaking to some journalists in Abuja on the reason behind creating the committee, Zorro, who is chairman of the House adhoc committee on media, said the decision was taken in order to provide a legal framework for expending funds and regulating activities of international and local donor agencies in the Northeast.
He said a situation where NGOs troop into the Northeast in the name of assisting victims of insurgency without being cleared and properly guided was unacceptable.
According to him, such donors must declare their resources, areas of intervention, plans, operational base among others.
In addition, he said, the committee would ensure that such donors are duly registered with the National Planning Commission (NPC) for proper coordination of their activities.
The committee, which is to have a member each from the 36 states of the country including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), will also oversee activities of refugees and any initiative on the Northeast, which is ravaged by activities of insurgents.
Additionally, the committee will oversee the National Refugees’ Commission as well as relate with multilateral and supra-national agencies with respect to rehabilitation, reconstruction, recovery, resettlement and development of the Northeast states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe. The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh has affirmed his ministry’s readiness to sanction employers that violate the Factories Act Cap F1 LFN 2004 on Occupational Safety and Health at work places.
While bemoaning the recurrent issue of preventable fatal industrial accidents that resulted in injuries and death of Nigerian workers at Hongxing Steel Company Limited, Dr. Illoh revealed that the Federal Government has instituted a high level enquiry into the issue at stake.
He said that ministry has invited the top Management staff of Hongxing Steel Company for a crucial meeting slated for Monday in Abuja.
He said that the meeting is aimed at concluding investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the accidents with a view to ensured full compliance to the Factory Act 2004 and give the company time frame to rectify all contraventions and recommendations to ensure adequate safety and health of employees, including compensation to the victims of the industrial accidents.