OVER 260,000 DISPLACED IN SOUTH EAST -DEPUTY SPEAKER 25-11-24
By Sadiq Aminu The deputy Speaker House of Representatives, Mr. Benjamin Kalu, has expressed concerns over humanitarian crisis, with over 260,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) spread across 158 camps and affected communities in the South East region.
Mr. Kalu, at a Roundtable Discussion in Abuja with International non-governmental organizations (INGOs) in a programme titled “Through Their Eyes: A Call To Action, Addressing Humanitarian Challenges In The South East” explained that the States of Enugu, Imo, Abia, Anambra, and Ebonyi are the most affected, with many people lacking access to clean water, adequate shelter, healthcare, and education.
The Deputy Speaker said the purpose of the roundtable discussion was to explore avenues for deeper partnerships, to engender resilience, and to deliver sustainable solutions to some of the nation’s most ecological issues.
He said that the crisis in the South East region has been characterized by displacement, violence, and ecological challenges, including natural disasters like gully erosion that have destroyed homes and left many without shelter.
In their separate remarks, the head of INGOs in Nigeria, Camilla Higgins; the Director-General of Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, Umar Ibrahim Mohammed; the national coordinator of National Social Investment Programme Agency; Dr. Badamasi Lawal; the Director-General of National Refugees Commission and Migrants, Alhaji Aliyu Ahmed and representatives of other agencies who were overwhelmed by the ecological challenges and human crisis in the South East region pledged their respective commitments to collaborate with the Office of the Deputy Speaker to address the menace.
They however appealed for increase in their budgetary allocation in 2025 to enable them to function optimally in their constitutional mandates.