Reps decry condition of IDPs in N/East

The House of Representatives Committee on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Refugees and Initiatives in the North-east has expressed concern over the appalling condition and malnourishment among IDPs in the region.

The committee chaired by Rep Mohammed Sani Zorro (APC, Jigawa) said yesterday that there was rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the region.

Zorro, in a statement, said: “The present chaos in the field can be traceable to the absence of concurrent plan(s) to respond to today’s internal displacement challenges triggered by intensified military campaign aimed at defeating Boko Haram insurgency.”

The statement said for “inexplicable” reasons, the federal government had failed to embrace best global policy practices that would have helped significantly in attracting the commitment of genuine donor organizations and humanitarian agencies.

“The situation has been aggravated further by the refusal of the federal government to adopt and operationalize the well articulated national policy on internally displaced persons (IDPs), developed and updated over the years”, it added.

To contain the situation, the committee said the government should immediately appoint a “responsible, conversant and committed commissioner” and chief executive for the National Commission for Refugees (NCR).

The commissioner, the committee added, should be able to develop capacities and reposition the commission such that it could deliver on all mandates specified in the Geneva Convention and the additional protocol governing treatment of refugees and IDPs.