The Civil Society Network on Migration and Development (CSOnetMADE)- a network of civil society groups advocating for a voluntary, safe and dignified migration- has called on the federal government to fast-track the adoption of the national policy on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
The network made this appeal at a one-day round table strategic advocacy meeting towards the adoption of national policy on the IDPs in Abuja on Monday.
Speaking at the meeting, the Coordinator of CSOnetMADE, Rev. Emeka Xris Obiezu said when adopted, the Policy will provide for a better management of the two critical dimensions of the IDPs situation namely; emergency and post emergency situations which involves immediate material relief and durable solution.
“We are here today because we are concerned about the conditions of the 3.3m Nigerians who by no fault of theirs, have been displaced from their homes or locations.
“More so, we are here because many of those who have not received adequate assistance because of the incoherence or complete lack of legal instrument mandating agencies with responsibility of doing the needful.
“As organizations working directly or indirectly with IDPs and other forms of migration, this lack of legal instrument also impedes our output for the reasons of not knowing the appropriate persons or agencies of the government to hold accountable when needs be,” he noted.
Rev. Obiezu who is an independent expert and consultant on migration governance and policy, recalled that efforts towards a national policy on IDPs began in 2006 with the constitution of the Presidential Committee on the IDP policy.
He however, expressed dismay that it has not been adopted till date while the IDPs continued suffering.
On his part, Okeke Anya of the Civil Society Legislative advocacy Centre (CISLAC) who said CISLAC had been advocating for the adoption of the policy since 2010, lamented that IDPs issues were being treated as emergency.
“Nigeria must stop treating IDPs issues as emergency. The IDPs are abandoned immediately the crisis ends which is not to be so. This policy, when adopted, will allow the IDPs get durable solutions,” he stressed.
The increasing incidence of forced displacement resulting from ethnic, religious, economic and boundary conflicts, various government decisions, natural and man-made disasters, and its attendant massive destruction to lives and property propel the rise in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) all over the world.
Globally, the estimated number of IDPs is put at 68 million while Nigeria shares a whopping sum of 3.3m of the world IDPs.
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