In a sobering wake-up call to federal authorities, the House of Representatives on Wednesday demanded a national reintegration strategy for over 3.3 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) scattered across Nigeria—many of them women and children still stuck in limbo after fleeing violent conflict and insecurity.
The urgent appeal came during Wednesday’s plenary, following a motion of public importance by Hon. Felix Nwaeke, who represents the Eleme/Oyigbo/Tai Federal Constituency of Rivers State. The lawmaker painted a grim picture of displacement in Nigeria, with over 300 camps spread across Benue, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, and Zamfara States housing desperate families clinging to survival.
Nwaeke criticized the absence of a comprehensive plan to help these Nigerians return to normal life after their homes were torched, livelihoods lost, and communities destabilized.
“We cannot, in good conscience, return people to destroyed homes and fragile communities without support,” he stated. “That would be not just insensitive, but a gross abandonment of their humanity.”
According to him, any plan for reintegration must go beyond the symbolic return of IDPs and must include:
- Cash assistance
- Food and clothing
- Psychosocial and emotional counseling
- Sustainable livelihood programs
Nwaeke emphasized that without these essentials, many IDPs risk relapsing into poverty, trauma, and renewed instability—conditions ripe for exploitation by armed groups.
The House adopted the motion unanimously, signaling rare bipartisan consensus on the worsening humanitarian crisis. Lawmakers mandated the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to conduct a nationwide assessment of IDP conditions and develop a reintegration roadmap tailored to regional needs.
In addition, the House directed its Committee on Emergency and Disaster Management to monitor compliance and ensure the plan isn’t left gathering dust on bureaucratic desks.
As camps swell and the promises of return remain unmet, the call for reintegration grows louder. But for Nigeria’s displaced millions—many born and raised in tents—hope now rests not in speeches, but in swift, strategic action.
🛑 Need for Update:
It remains to be seen how quickly the ministry and NEMA will act on the House directive and whether budgetary backing will follow. The lives of millions hang in the balance.
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