The Senate Committee on Special Duties has pledged to pursue legislative interventions and other measures aimed at ameliorating the plight of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, nationwide.
Speaking at the inaugural meeting in Abuja the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Shehu Kaka (APC-Borno), said members of the committee were conscious of the important role they have been assigned to play in the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration among which is to provide succour to victims of natural and man-made disasters.
Kaka said; “We are going to ensure no stone is left unturned, we are going to carry out oversight functions, we are going to engage and conduct public hearings on the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians. We will make sure the renewed hope mantra of the president succeeds. We are going to checkmate what the MDAs are doing vis-a-vis to enlighten Nigerians to ensure the right thing is done. All hands must be on deck to ensure we achieve the desired result based on what we ascribe to and what the mandate of the committee is.”
In response to a question on speculations that the Nigerian Government has suspended the N-power programme introduced by the immediate past Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration, Senator Kaka said he was yet to be briefed on the matter.
“For now, I’m yet to receive the official briefing on the suspension and the substitution of a new programme. I don’t want to comment, but as a lawmaker saddled with the responsibility of this committee, I will study the enabling law that brought N-power as well as the bill that is before us. If there is no overlap and it is out, the suspension was in the best interest of Nigerians, I will allow it to go. But where the suspension is not in the best interest of Nigerians, you will see me shouting on the floor that we should bring it back, I will not comment on whether we are going to investigate or not until after receiving briefs from the relevant MDAs of government” he said.
On the moves to amend the enabling Act guiding such social interventions specifically with proposals to transfer the agency responsible from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to the presidency, Senator Kaka said, “whatever the case, his committee will have oversight functions over the agency.
“For now, the bill that was laid before the National Assembly has no clause as to contain any interest from the villa. We had the clause-to-clause consideration on Wednesday and we did not see anywhere the name of Tinubu or the presidency mentioned, so I can assure you if there is anything it will be reflected in that bill but we have not seen any.”
A member of the committee, Sen. Fadahunsi Adenigba (PDP-Osun) helped on the importance of ensuring that displaced persons are well-catered for and quickly resettled in their ancestral homes.
Mohammed Monguno (APC-Borno) said that the move by the Senate to transfer the National Social Investment Programme to the Presidency underscored the importance of the work of the committee.
VON