TheCable

The federal government has approved a new national policy for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria.

Sadiya Umar Farouq, minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists on the outcome of the federal executive council (FEC) meeting.

President Muhammadu Buhari presided over the FEC meeting in Abuja.

Farouq said the policy is a milestone for the government as part of efforts to bring relief to displaced persons.

“Today, at council, the federal ministry of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development presented a memo for the approval of a draft national policy on internally displaced persons in Nigeria,” she said.

“I must say that today is a great day for the ministry and the government, because this administration has reached another milestone for the purpose of internally displaced persons.

“The national policy provides a platform for all relevant actors in the humanitarian and development space to key in and contribute towards a common goal.

“With the approval of the policy, a multi-sectorial structure will fully emerge, which will ensure a coordinated, operational and strategic response to all the humanitarian challenges our great nation is facing.”

According to the minister, the federal government has spent about N3 billion on emergency interventions.

“The mandate of the ministry is to formulate and develop humanitarian interventions and show strategic disaster mitigation preparedness and response, and also to develop and formulate policies geared towards social inclusion and protection programmes in the country,” she said.

“So, you can see it’s quite much and this money runs into millions or billions of naira within the budgetary provision given to the ministry.

“This year, on the emergency responses, we have spent billions — maybe N2 billion to N3 billion — because of these emergency issues of flooding and other emergency interventions. But as I said, for the funding of all these interventions, it’s within the budgetary allocations; it’s public knowledge.

“On the number of those displaced, we have 2.3 million persons displaced in the country.”