The bill titled “Act to Give Effect to the Provisions of the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria; and for Related Matters” has been signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.
The bill as gathered stands in the name of Rt Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, as the lead sponsor alongside 6 other lawmakers: Hon. Jonathan Gaza Gbefwi, Hon. Khadijat Bukar Ibrahim, Hon. Blessing Onuh, Hon. Nasiru Shehu, Hon. Felix Uche Nwaeke and Hon. Steve Fatoba as co-sponsors.
As gathered from a press statement by Levinus Nwabughiogu, Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Speaker, the President signed into law the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), also known as the Kampala Convention, brought by Kalu and co. to strengthen humanitarian protection and uphold the rights and dignity of displaced citizens.
According to Nwabughiogu, the bill previously passed by both chambers of the National Assembly, the Senate and the House of Representatives, ultimately seeks to domesticate and enforce in Nigeria the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons.
He stressed that the bill also seeks to eliminate the root causes of internal displacement in Nigeria in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, and other relevant laws and international instruments to which Nigeria is a party.
“It will be recalled that Nigeria, alongside 32 other African Union members, launched into the ratification during the Kampala Convention in 2009.
“The 32 countries included Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Congo, Djibouti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, Mauritania, Nigeria, Niger, Rwanda, Saharawi Arab Republic, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, eSwatini, Togo, Rwanda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe,” Nwabughiogu said.
He added that the objectives of the legislation are to provide a legal and institutional framework for the prevention, mitigation and elimination of root causes of internal displacement; make provision for the protection, assistance and durable solutions for internally displaced persons in Nigeria; and ensure the protection of the human rights of internally displaced persons in line with the provisions of the constitution, relevant laws and international instruments to which Nigeria is a party.
He added that other objectives include providing for the obligations, responsibilities and roles of government agencies (“competent authorities”) and non-state actors and providing a comprehensive and gender-friendly framework for national response, coordination and collaboration for the protection, assistance and humanitarian interventions relating to internal displacement.
Nwabughiogu also said that the legislation also aims to promote solidarity, cooperation, durable solutions and mutual support among state parties to the convention, state parties and non-state actors, competent authorities, and non-state actors in collaboration with relevant agencies, in order to combat displacement and address its consequences.
An available report says that Nigeria is challenged by severe, long-term humanitarian crises with millions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) struggling with extreme poverty, hunger, disease, and lack of security in mostly informal camps.
“This is primarily due to Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, farmer-herder conflicts and natural disasters,” he said.
According to him, the domestication of the Kampala Convention essentially marks a significant step towards protecting IDPs in Nigeria, as it is expected to check overcrowded, under-resourced shelters and limited access to healthcare and education.
He said that while reacting to the development, the Deputy Speaker, Kalu, commended President Tinubu for signing the Act, stating that he has given a human face to the suffering of IDPs, demonstrating his commitment to addressing their plight.
As gathered, the Deputy Speaker equally urged Nigerians to support the efforts of the government in implementing the Kampala Convention.
Kalu also called on the international community to partner with Nigeria in addressing the root causes of displacement and emphasised the need for all Nigerians to work together to address the humanitarian crisis and provide durable solutions for IDPs.
