Reps to donate N100,000 each to IDPs

House of Rep in session

– Nigerian lawmakers have resolved to contribute N100,000 each from their July salaries as donation to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Northeast

– The House of Representatives plans to raise the sum of N36million as donation to the IDPs

– The House urged the federal government to consider the immediate adoption of a national policy on IDPs

Following the problems of food shortages and poor sanitary conditions presently rocking the camps of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), the House of Representatives has resolved to contribute the sum of N36million.

According to a report on Leadership, the money will be used for the welfare of the IDPs in the Northeast.

A motion moved by Hon. Mohammed Sani Zorro called on each member to contribute the sum of N100,000 from their July salaries to raise the required sum.

Some IDPs

The House of Representatives has resolved to contribute the sum of N36million as donation to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Northeast.

Speaking at the House, Zorro said over 50,000 malnourished children are currently facing imminent threat of death as a result of acute nutrition-deficit and inhuman conditions. He said they lack food, basic medical care, water and sanitation

Hence, the lawmaker noted that the current hardship faced by IDPs called for serious concern.

On its part, the House urged the federal government to consider the immediate adoption of a national policy on IDPs and to immediately appoint a substantive federal commissioner for refugees, IDPs, migrants and returnees.

The House also called on the government to deploy a sustained humanitarian protection and assistance protocol for an effective, efficient and verifiable supply of food and non-food items to the IDPs in the Northeast.

Recently, the medical and humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières issued a statement saying some 24,000 refugees are in poor health, with at least 30 people, mostly children, dying every day.

According to the United Nations, over 200,000 people, mainly children, are at the risk of dying from malnutrition in Borno state.

The UN humanitarian coordinator for Nigeria, Mohammed Safieldin, made this shocking revelation at an emergency meeting with donor agencies and the Borno state government in Abuja on Monday, June 27.

Safieldin disclosed that if nothing is done to scale up interventions for food and medicare to refugees, the camps are on the verge of losing five children every hour.