Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki Tuesday said
that increasing cases of social injustices like rape, diversion of food items
and other corruption related cases within the Internally Displaced Persons
(IDPs) camps are inexcusable.
He also pledged the cooperation of the Senate in ensuring
the quick passage of bills to help address the crisis of the IDPs in the
country.
Dr. Saraki spoke when the United Nations High Commission for
Refugees (UNHCR) led by Mrs. Angele Dikongue-Atangana visited him at the
National Assembly, Abuja.
According to the Senate President, "it is disheartening
and heartless when you read and hear of cases of corruption in the supplies of
food items, when you see cases of malnutrition and mortality in the IDPs. When
you see children with cases of malnutrition and you know there can be speedy
recovery when the necessary drugs and nutritional items are provided with the
necessary food items".
He pledged the readiness of the National Assembly to
cooperate with the UN Commission for Refugees in addressing the challenges
facing the various IDPs in the Middle belt region of Nigeria.
Dr. Saraki told the leader of the delegation that despite
the fact that the Senate has no committee on the Internally Displaced Persons
did not mean that the upper chamber is unmindful of its legislative duties in
the IDPs, explaining that there are committees of the Senate that are saddled
with the responsibilities of tackling poverty and its related challenges.
He pledged the cooperation of the Senate to work with the
House of Representatives in the passage of legislation that would enhance the
welfare of the persons in the IDPs.
Dr. Saraki also pledged to help facilitate the domestication
of the kampala Convention on Statelessness and Protection of Refugees.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Mrs.
Dikongue-Atangana told recounted the efforts of the UNHCR to rally support on
the domestication of the Kampala convention in the troubled regions within the
country.
She added that the UNHCR is planning a workshop for the
parliamentarians on the role of law makers in internal displacement for the
Senate and that the workshop is aimed at creating the awareness among members
regarding international standards on IDP protection and lesson learnt on
parliamentary oversight of national response to internal displacement crisis.
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