IDPs: Dogara Urges PMB To Transmit Bill On Kampala Treaty For Domestication
IDPs: Dogara Urges PMB To Transmit Bill On Kampala Treaty For Domestication
Leadership, 24 Nov 2015
URL: http://leadership.ng/news/477438/idps-dogara-urges-pmb-transmit-bill-kampala-treaty-domestication
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to transmit an executive bill on the domestication of Kampala Convention for the protection and assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa to the National Assembly for domestication.
Dogara also lauded the president for setting aside the sum of N5 billion in the 2015 supplementary budget recently sent to the National Assembly meant for the rehabilitation of the north-east region.
The speaker stated this yesterday in Abuja while addressing participants at a sensitization workshop organised by the House Committee on IDPs, Refugees and Initiatives on North-East for lawmakers on the roles of the parliament in addressing the challenges of IDPs in Nigeria.
“Today’s event offers the opportunity to restate the fact that there is no adequate legal framework for handling issues of internal displacement. Even though Nigeria at the executive level has ratified the African Union Convention for the Protection and assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention), it has not yet been domesticated by the legislature.
“Therefore, permit me to call on Mr President to transmit to the National Assembly, an executive bill on this and indeed other relevant treaties for domestication.
“However, as legislators, we have primary constitutional responsibility to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of Nigeria, and we shall in the exercise of this constitutional mandate soon be left with no option but to introduce a bill to domesticate the all important Kampala Convention, if for whatever reason the executive is unable to send the required bill,” Dogara said.
While calling for a comprehensive legal instrument to address the challenges of the IDPs, Dogara said, “Apart from domesticating the Kampala Convention, all legal and institutional structures with respect to rehabilitation and assistance of IDPs needs to be reorganized for better coordination.”
Dogara also lauded the president for setting aside the sum of N5 billion in the 2015 supplementary budget recently sent to the National Assembly meant for the rehabilitation of the north-east region.
The speaker stated this yesterday in Abuja while addressing participants at a sensitization workshop organised by the House Committee on IDPs, Refugees and Initiatives on North-East for lawmakers on the roles of the parliament in addressing the challenges of IDPs in Nigeria.
“Today’s event offers the opportunity to restate the fact that there is no adequate legal framework for handling issues of internal displacement. Even though Nigeria at the executive level has ratified the African Union Convention for the Protection and assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention), it has not yet been domesticated by the legislature.
“Therefore, permit me to call on Mr President to transmit to the National Assembly, an executive bill on this and indeed other relevant treaties for domestication.
“However, as legislators, we have primary constitutional responsibility to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of Nigeria, and we shall in the exercise of this constitutional mandate soon be left with no option but to introduce a bill to domesticate the all important Kampala Convention, if for whatever reason the executive is unable to send the required bill,” Dogara said.
While calling for a comprehensive legal instrument to address the challenges of the IDPs, Dogara said, “Apart from domesticating the Kampala Convention, all legal and institutional structures with respect to rehabilitation and assistance of IDPs needs to be reorganized for better coordination.”