FG to establish data base for IDPs

The Federal Government has approved the establishment of a database for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) across the country.

The House of Representatives Committee Chairman on IDPs and Refugees, Mr Muhammad Jega disclosed this at the budget defence of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs, on Thursday in Abuja.

Jega said that President Muhammadu Buhari disclosed this on Oct 11 while expressing the federal government’s desire to have comprehensive records of all IDPs, wherever they are located, adding that it would help to keep their records so as to properly cater for them.

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According to him, the database will also help to provide a good basis for protection, care and maintenance of IDPs across the country.

Sen. Basheer Mohammed, the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs, said that paucity of funds had hindered the commission from performing optimally.

He, however, sought the support of the committee to intervene by ensuring that more funds were made available to the commission in order to adequately take care of the needs of IDPs in the country.

Mohammed disclosed that the commission received N500 million as allocation, to service the 36 states of the federation, pointing out that at the moment there were 2.5 million displaced Nigerians in over 200 camps across the country.

“I am saying this so that you can appreciate the challenges we are facing so that something reasonable will be done to ensure that IDPs are well catered for,” he said. (NAN)