N1.6b budget not enough for IDPs’ needs in Nigeria – Kalu

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu has expressed concern over the paltry provision of N1.6 billion to cater to the immediate needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country.

Speaking when the Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees Migrants and IDPs, Ahmed Tijani Ahmed paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja, he called for a comprehensive report on the statistics of IDPs) in Nigeria as well as those in the neighbouring countries who were also displaced by natural disasters.

Kalu who attributed some of the displacements to the impact of natural disasters such as flooding and erosion mainly occasioned by climate change said that the parliament is interested in the data on the total national NEEDS analysis on IDPs.

He also said that some Nigerians forced to migrate across the borders by the effect of the natural occurrences on their villages and communities are eager to be resettled, stressing that adequate legislative interventions are necessary to achieve the objective.

The Deputy Speaker also noted the huge effects of erosion in Abia, Anambra, Enugu, and other States in the Southeast, saying that the menace of ecological challenges needed urgent attention from the federal government. 

Kalu hinted at the readiness of the National Assembly to make an upward review of the budgetary allocations of the agencies.

According to him: “The climate is at war with us. So, the issue of mitigation, and adaptation is something that as a government, we must take seriously but in doing that, agencies like you who manage the consequences of these climate impacts need to be aware that it’s beyond the visibility we are seeing that’s given to it currently.

“We heard of what happened in Maiduguri. I mentioned it even before the African Union (AU). Beyond Maiduguri, a lot more is happening around the country.

“Those people are chased out of their homes and when they are chased out who handles them? It’s your Commission. Then how prepared are you? I checked your budget last year, I was wondering if that budget, in view of what we are seeing now, the impact of this climate change, if a budget of N1.6 billion or thereabout will be able to handle that across the country. 

“And I have not heard your agency bring it to the fore both in the parliament and also to Nigerians maybe through a documentary to show us the volume of the needs analysis, showcasing the plight of Nigerians. 

“We are charging your Commission to give us the total report on the plight of  Nigerians currently all across the country. So, let the Commission have an intervention fund dedicated to do the proper NEEDS analysis so that as we do the budget, we look into it. This is part of the oversight function. So, get us a report on that.”

Ahmed expressed gratitude to the Deputy Speaker, pledging to make the report available to the parliament within the given two-week deadline even as he appealed for more funding of the Commission.