We want Database of Refugees, IDPs Nationwide, Reps Tell FG
By Kassim Omomia
The House of Representatives has demanded from the appropriate agency of the Federal Government, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), a developed and comprehensive database of all refugees, migrants and displaced Nigerians nationwide for proper resource management and protection of the vulnerable.
Chairman, House committee on IDPs and Humanitarian Matters, Rep. Muhammad Jega gave the charge at the rescheduled budget defence session with the Refugees commission on Thursday evening, saying that doing so would enable the legislature appropriate adequately for them.
“This committee will want to see a situation where a comprehensive database of all IDPs and refugees in the country. This will bring about effective tracking mechanism for providing adequate care and protection to them.
“And it will also help us in the process of appropriation to gauge the level of humanitarian need the commission is expected to cater for, and appropriate accordingly,” Chairman Jega said.
The commissioner in charge of the Refugees commission, Sen. Bashir Garba Mohammed, had earlier told the committee that the sum of N5.7bn was appropriated for the agency as capital and recurrent expenditure in 2020, adding that the amount represent 36.5% increase from 2019.
He said Overhead was N29m, just as he disclosed that the commission just awarded contracts due to the delay occasioned by covid-19 pandemic.
He said out of the total sum, only N4.2m for overhead has been released so far.
The sum of N2.1bn was approved for zonal intervention (constituency) projects for lawmakers.
He therefore informed that “the Commission has the capacity and full willingness to execute projects appropriated for in the 2020 budget”.
He therefore appealed to the committee to help the commission extend the life of its capital budget implementation, just as he called for the review of its capital allocation from what currently obtains.
“Commission has been working to ensure the realisation of its mandates
5.7bn approved for both capitals and recurrent. Larger part of the sum has been released as at Nov 1st”, he said, adding that “two months releases are outstanding for September and October.”
“The Commission is faced with lots of challenges which we believe can be surmounted with your support. And the major of such challenges is paucity of funds which we hope this committee would assist in reviewing upward,” he appealed to the committee.
