Kalu Seeks Partnership With UNHCR To Address Displacement Crisis

In a bid to effectively address the growing displacement crisis in Nigeria, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin© Okezie Kalu has called for a collaborative effort with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR to tackle the challenges faced by Internally Displaced Persons IDPs.

To this end, the Deputy Speaker has proposed a five-pronged approach to work with UNHCR, focusing on joint humanitarian responses, technical support for the implementation of the Kampala Convention, development of climate-displacement risk maps, participatory frameworks for IDP policymaking, and support for post-conflict sustainable peace management.

According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, Kalu made the proposals during a courtesy call on him by a delegation from the United Nations, UN led by the country representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Arjun Jain in Abuja.

The Deputy Speaker said that no nation can work in isolation, emphasizing Nigeria’s readiness to not only participate but also lead.

He revealed that this is the reason for the enactment of a bill at the National Assembly to domesticate the Kampala Convention ratified by Nigeria in 2012.

Bemoaning the negative impact of displacements on the citizens in the country, the Deputy Speaker emphasized that effective response must however stem from a clear understanding of the situation on the ground, noting other efforts to realize a healthy living environment.

“To respond effectively, we must first understand clearly. That is why I initiated a comprehensive regional needs assessment in the South-East, in partnership with the National Commission. The goal was not charity, it was clarity. We needed to identify, with precision, the educational, nutritional, medical, and security challenges facing IDPs, so that our response would be rooted in data, not guesswork.

“Whether a person flees gunfire or rising waters, their suffering is equally valid. And our urgency must be equally unrelenting. Yet we must aim higher. We must not only protect lives, we must restore futures. The true test of leadership is not how we react to disaster, but how we prepare for peace. Emergency relief may save lives; sustainable peace helps them thrive.

“That is why I have led conversations at the Inter-Parliamentary Union on a
Post-Conflict Sustainable Peace Management Framework. We need a
model that does not merely rebuild the structures of yesterday, bu reimagines the possibilities of tomorrow. We must heal the wound and also close the gate that lets the violence in.

“Here at home, we are already acting on that belief. Through the Peace in
South East Project (PISE-P), which I convened, we are deploying non-kinetic solutions through community dialogue, economic empowerment, and strategic reconciliation. This is not peace by force, but peace through trust. And while it began in the South-East, its architecture is designed for national replication. Because no region has a monopoly on pain, and none should be denied the dividends of peace.

“To build resilience, we must institutionalize inclusion. IDPs must not be mere recipients of aid, they must be architects of their own recovery.

“As we say in Nigeria, “He who wears the shoe knows where it pinches.” It is time to create participatory frameworks that allow IDPs to shape policies, contribute to planning, and engage in decisions that affect their lives. Their voice is not a favour, it is a right”, Kalu said.

Earlier in his presentation, the country representative, Arjun Jain said they were in the House to appreciate the efforts of the Deputy Speaker and further see areas of collaboration with the House.

“There are 122-123 million people who are forcefully displaced and 3% of them are Nigerians. There are Nigerian refugees across the borders of Asia, Chad and Cameroon, around 400,000 of them. They have been living there for some years now largely due to the northeast insurgency but also we have a number of unrest in the northwest. But in addition to that I think the most concerning number is the millions of internally displaced persons in Nigeria and the numbers have been slowly creeping up over the past 2 years.

“We have seen Nigeria as a country that actually aimed to abide by international principles by the Kampala Convention. It’s actually in many ways a leader in protection. We are immensely grateful for your leadership, immensely grateful and your name is well known in all units in our circle, not just in Nigeria, not just in West Africa but in our headquarters in Geneva and as a leader in addressing, protecting and resolving situations of displacement.

“We are here to thank you for all you’ve done to protect and assist refugees. We are here to hear from you on what we can do to support and to listen to see how we can further be of service”, he said.

PR Oduyemi Odumade