[allAfrica.com] [allAfrica.com_Top_Headlines] Playing Politics With Internally Displaced Persons? Vanguard (Lagos) OPINION May 16, 2004 Posted to the web May 17, 2004 By Sufuyan Ojeifo Abuja The fighting going on in parts of Plateau, Benue and Kano States will certainly leave in its trail a problem of internal displacement of persons. The Federal Government will have to intervene as usual through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). But the crisis, coming at a time when there is alleged subtle move to usurp or duplicate the functions of the agency, may well provide better understanding of NEMA"s functions vis-àà-vis that of the National Commission for Refugees (NCFR) believed to be the mastermind of the move by the Federal Government to develop a National Policy on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), a move that is allegedly underscored by politics of self interest and preservation. On January 23, this year, President Olusegun Obasanjo inaugurated a Committee to draft a National Policy on Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), purportedly in response to the problem/ issue of persons who have been forcefully uprooted or restrained from peacefully existing in their chosen communities. Minister of Inter-Governmental Affairs and Special Duties, Mr. Frank Nweke (Jnr.), is the Chairman of the Committee. The Committee has just called for memoranda from all arms of government and agencies of government, civil society and humanitarian organizations, international organizations and the general public. The Committee says the Federal Government accords the issue a great concern and has therefore asked it to evolve a National Policy, which will serve as a guide to all stakeholders involved in the prevention and resolution of internal displacement. There is indeed nothing wrong, it is widely agreed, about the step the Federal Government has taken only if the primary and ultimate objective is to aggregate opinions, views and suggestions that will guide stakeholders in identifying, preventing and resolving immediate and remote causes of internal displacement in the country in relation to the existing institutional mechanism statutorily charged with the responsibility. It is also arguably proper to identify the best practices and appropriate structural framework, if indeed none really exists presently, for the management of internal displacement. But the argument is that such institutional mechanism and structural framework already exist in National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). Consequently, whatever durable solutions and recommendations aimed at preventing the frequent occurrences of events leading to displacement should be properly distilled and harnessed by the technocrats on the Committee and packaged as a blueprint to further strengthen the operations of NEMA and not to cause a disjunction in the statutory functions of the Agency. But here lies the matter: there are understandable fears in circles that beneath the superficial expression of great concern for the plight of the internally displaced persons, which NEMA has been taking care of since its establishment in 1999, is the politics of personal interest and the preservation of that interest by influential elements in some functionally dissimilar organization, who want to encroach into the functions of the Agency, appropriate some of them, if not all, in order to escape the hammer of the Federal Government's crystallizing institutional reforms. But this is considered to be a poor solution, which if pursued to the end, will result in duplication of functions which the Federal Government"s reform is trying to eliminate. In fact, finger of guilt has been pointed at the National Commission for Refugees (NCFR) as the mastermind of the National Policy on Internally Displaced Persons. The Commission, according to authoritative feelers from sources within it, is poorly funded, receiving about N600, 000:00 a month for its operations in the national headquarters in Abuja and in States of the federation, given also that it appears to have little to do. This may be as a result of the restriction imposed on it by NCFR, Cap. 244 Laws of the Federation, 1990 (the law establishing it), which specifies the following functions: lay down general guidelines and overall policy on general issues relating to refugees and persons seeking asylum in Nigeria; advise the Federal Government on policy matters in relation to refugees in Nigeria; consider such matters as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation may, from time to time, refer to it and make recommendation thereon to the Secretary to the Federal Government; the commission may appoint such committees as it may deem necessary to deal with specific aspects of refugee problems in Nigeria; and, where there is a large scale influx of persons claiming to fall within the meaning of refugees, the Commission shall meet on an emergency basis and advise the Federal Government on the appropriate measures to be taken, including the provision of adequate facilities and services necessary for the care of the particular group of persons affected by the influx. A prominent Nigerian on the board of the Commission who is said to enjoy a very close relationship with President Obasanjo is said to be pulling the strings for the Commission in its current expansionist venture: to allegedly take over NEMA"s functions and pave the way for inflow of more money into the Commission Whereas, the National Emergency Management Agency"s Establishment Act 12 of 1999 as amended by Act 50 of 1999, in the true understanding of the spirit behind it, vests the responsibility for the management of Internally Displaced Persons in the Agency. The Act specifies among other functions of the Agency: formulate policy on all activities relating to disaster management in Nigeria and coordinate the plans and programme for efficient and effective response to disaster at national level; coordinate and promote research activities relating to disaster management at the national level; monitor the state of preparedness of all organizations or agencies, which may contribute to disaster management in Nigeria; educate and inform the public on disaster prevention and control measures; coordinate and facilitate the provision of necessary resources for search and rescue and other types of disaster curtailment activities in response to distress call; coordinate the activities of all voluntary organizations engaged in emergency relief operations in any part of the Federation; receive financial and technical aid from international organizations and non-governmental agencies for the purpose of disaster management in Nigeria; collect emergency relief supply from local, foreign sources and from international and non-governmental agencies; distribute emergencies relief materials to victims of natural or other disasters and assist in the rehabilitation of the victims where necessary; liaise with State Emergency Management Committee established under Section 8 of this Decree to assess and monitor where necessary, the distribution of relief materials to disaster victims; process relief assistance to such countries as may be determined from time to time; and, liaise with the United Nations Disaster Reduction Organizations or such other international bodies for the reduction of natural and other disaster. These functions seem a complete package of answers to the terms of reference set out for the Presidential Committee on Internally Displaced Persons. Besides, the concept of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) finds proper accommodation in the whole gamut of NEMA"s functions, which are anchored on the management of all aspects of disasters that may affect the nation, including disaster victims, mass deportations or repatriation of Nigerians from other countries. The concepts of refugees and asylum seekers, which involve nationals of other countries, are very clear and distinct from that of IDPs. The distinction in functions is backed by the legal instruments that established them: NCFR and NEMA. Feelers pointed to the fact that technocrats and influence peddlers at the NCFR were largely instrumental to the move by the Federal Government to draft a National Policy on IDPs. An official of the NCFR, in an off-handed manner, reduced the issue to the level of funding, alleging that NEMA is under the office of the Vice President and to that extent it is well funded, while the NCFR is being under funded. The impression in certain circles has been confirmed that it is because of improved funding that the move has been initiated to set the stage for the breaking or duplication of the functions of NEMA, not minding the current package and regime of reforms that do not favour duplicity of functions. It has also been confirmed that NEMA is fighting to protect itself. It has reportedly made a submission to the Presidential Committee on IDPs in which it aggregated its position on disaster management and IDPs and established itself as the nexus. According to the submission: "On the scope of what constitutes a disaster, Section 6 sub-section 2 of NEMA establishment Act describes a disaster as follows: "Natural or other disasters arising from any crisis, epidemic, drought, flood, earthquake, storms, trains, roads, aircraft, oil spillage or other accidents and mass deportation or repatriation of Nigerians from any other countries". "The guiding principle behind the provisions is the fact of the historic divisions and separation of functions among our layered system of Federal, State and Local Governments, among agencies at the same level and between Governments and the private sector, which greatly impeded cooperation, collaboration and joint participation in relief and humanitarian assistance. The current policy on IDPs recognizes the fact that victims of disasters are always localized within Local Government, hence the first responsibility is on the affected Local Government. behind the current move (read dissembling) to politicize the issue of IDPs in order to accommodate, renovate and preserve certain personal interests within the changing structures of government (consider the reforms being perfected by government)?   =============================================================================   Copyright © 2004 Vanguard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). =============================================================================