The Senate at its plenary session of Wednesday, 24 January 2018, passed for second reading a Bill seeking to domesticate the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Africa.
Leading the debate, Sen. David Umaru (APC: Niger) explained that the Bill seeks to domesticate and provide a legal framework for the implementation of the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa. He stated that the Bill otherwise known as the “Kampala Convention” was signed by the Federal Government of Nigeria on 23 October 2009 and ratified on 17 April 2012.
Sen. Umaru noted that the Bill if passed, would create a mechanism for addressing issues of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria including the prevention, protection, rehabilitation, re-integration and re-settlement of victims and reconstruction of infrastructure. He stated that the aspect of IDPs management was not adequately addressed under existing domestic laws due to an overlap of statutory responsibilities or the poor delineation of mandates.
According to Sen. Umaru, since most victims of displacement are left without basic relief materials, the Bill seeks to create an effective mechanism for monitoring the implementation of the Convention and future policies pertaining to IDPs in Nigeria. It would also complement the efforts of emergency relief agencies nationwide.
The Bill has been referred to the Committee on Special Duties for further legislative action, which is expected to report back in four weeks.
