By Kehinde Akintola,
Federal Government on Tuesday launched the National Policy on Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) as part of ongoing efforts toward ensuring effective coordination of the administration’s strategic response to the humanitarian challenges in the country.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq unveiled the policy document along with the maiden edition of the Humanitarian Open House with the theme; ‘Coordinating for Durable Humanitarian Solutions; the Journey so far,’ a strategic communications initiative of the Ministry.
In the bid to ensure effective implementation of the policy, the Minister inaugurated the National Coordination Technical Working Group.
According to her, the Federal National Policy on IDP was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in September 2021.
“The process of developing and adoption of the policy commenced in 2001, and within this period, the initial draft of the policy has been reviewed severally to reflect new realities and emerging trends in the humanitarian space in Nigeria.
“This policy aims to provide a framework for national responsibility towards prevention and protection of citizens and, in some cases, non-citizens, from incidences of arbitrary and other forms of internal displacement, meet their assistance and protection needs during displacement, and ensure their rehabilitation, return, reintegration and relocation after displacement. The policy spells out principles guiding humanitarian assistance and implementation of durable solutions in situations of internal displacement in Nigeria and has adopted the human rights-based approach and its principles.
“It integrated the provisions of existing international conventions, treaties and protocols on internal displacement, guided by the dictates of international humanitarian and human rights laws. This policy, therefore, draws extensively on the guidance of international and national frameworks on the prevention of internal displacement, as well as those on protection and assistance of internally displaced persons. The Kampala Convention, the UN Guiding Principles on internal displacement, and the Sphere Minimum Standards for Humanitarian Assistance have significantly defined the direction of this policy.
“This policy envisions an equitable and stable Nigerian society that is proactive and responsive to situations that could lead to internal displacement, where the right to life of dignity is guaranteed for all internally displaced persons, and where adequate measures and durable solutions exist to prevent and mitigate the impact of internal displacement on vulnerable populations.”
While expressing satisfaction over the successes recorded through the implementation of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), Farouq argued that NSIP remains the biggest social protection and poverty eradication programme ever put in place by any government in Nigeria and one of the biggest in Africa.
