Chairman, Senate Committee on Special Duties, Abdul-Aziz Nyarko (APC, Adamawa) made this disclosure while giving a brief of his committee’s report on Development of Boko haram-ravaged North-east.
According to him, statistics show that about four million children in the affected zone are malnourished.
Giving a bleak report of the situation, he said “schools have been destroyed while many teachers have lost their lives and this has led to anxiety about their future.”
He lamented that the Refugee Commission Act was mainly concerned with refugees from other countries as well as Nigerian refugees in other countries without any provisions for IDPs.
While calling for an amendment of the Act to correct the anomaly, Nyarko’s report asked for improved funding for it as well as the National Emergency Management Agency(NEMA).
He said: “There is need to appropriate enough money. Only N2.4 billion and N1.34 billion have been budgeted for the Refugee Commission and NEMA and this is only 0.06 percent of the budget.”
Senators who spoke on the report used the opportunity to call for speedy action on the North East Development Commission bill in the National Assembly.
Senate President, Bukola Saraki expressed senate’s determination to expeditiously pass the bill to ensure quick implementation.
According to him, “real issue is to pass the bill as soon as possible, while we urge the Leader of the Senate to present a proposed motion on funding for victims of insurgency.”
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