The Senate at its plenary session of Thursday, 13 December 2018 passed the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs) (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2018 (SB 335) which seeks to repeal the extant Act and re-enact certain provisions to protect the rights of refugees, migrants, and IDPs in line with best practices.
Presenting the report on the Bill, Sen. Abdulaziz Nyako (APC: Adamawa), Chairman, Committee on Special Duties said that the objectives of the Bill include:
- Expanding the mandate of the Commission by giving it powers to act as the coordinating arm for effective administration and management of refugees, migrants and IDPs;
- Creating a platform for the coordination of issues relating to refugees, migrants and IDPS through the Commission; and
- Expanding the scope of the Commission to include facilitating the management and utilization of funds from government and donor agencies.
Sen. Nyako explained that the bill, if passed, will address the issues of migration arising from communal conflicts, insurgency, and insecurity due to the absence of a legal framework to prevent evolving challenges. Following his submissions, the Senate unanimously adopted and approved the Committee’s recommendation after which the bill was passed.
It would be recalled that the Senate had adjourned consideration of the Bill on Thursday, 19 July 2018 after most lawmakers had expressed concerns over some provisions of the Bill which they described as ambiguous and non-implementable if not clarified properly.
