Kampala Convention: Tinubu has restored IDPs’ rights, dignity – Kalu

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu says that assent by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the Kampala Convention Domestication Act is a significant step towards restoring the dignity and rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country.

Kalu, according to a statement by his chief press secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, stated this when he received the delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Nigeria, led by Doris El Doueihy, on a courtesy visit on Tuesday in Abuja.

The deputy speaker, who sponsored the Act alongside six other lawmakers, expressed appreciation to the Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Lateef Fagbemi, for his role in the domestication process, noting that it will be domesticated at the state level for easier implementation.

According to him, the signing of the Act has set an example for other African countries and will catalyse them to domesticate the Act to address IDP challenges.

“Most African countries have been waiting for Nigeria to have a buy-in into this, and now that we have done that, I can assure you that a lot of African countries will come on board to embrace this shield.

“We have given a legal shield for the rights, for the dignity, for the welfare of these people because they are persons; even though they are displaced, they are citizens, even though they are displaced. And so when you visit the camp and see what they go through, you begin to question. They didn’t bring this upon themselves. What is their protection?

“That was the reason for the Kampala Convention, and now that we have domesticated it, the law has become alive in our country for them to be protected in their rights, in their dignity and in their welfare. And when you talk about this, domestication is not going to end at the federal level. We are setting up mechanisms to make sure that the States will domesticate this particular convention in their various codified laws,” Kalu stated.

Kalu charged relevant government agencies to ensure their budgets reflect the needs of the IDPs, noting that “it is not our intention to have the IDPs remain displaced persons forever, so there is a provision on how to also get them back home. We don’t want people to be in the IDP camps and stay there and have generation one, generation two, generation three.”