After a motion by Bashir Kaka Gabai, a senator from Borno state
central and 17 other lawmakers on 'Mounting Humanitarian Crisis' in the
North East, and a lenghty debate by lawmakers on Tuesday, members of the
Nigerian Senate, agreed to donate N300,000 each to internally displaced
persons (IDPs) in the northeast.
It can be recalled that on November 17, 2015, the upper legislative
chamber, had raised the amount proposed by the executive in the budget
for IDPs from N6bn to 10bn, in recognition of the magnitude of the
crisis.
Speaking during a plenary session today at the National Assembly, Abuja, Senator Gabai, said that there had been “no tangible result on the ground despite the release of half of the money appropriated.”
The lawmaker alleged that “rather than use the money
appropriated for the IDPs and the northeast to ameliorate the problems,
the focus of the disbursement so far made has been used to feather other
interest.”
According to The Cable News,
he called on the senate to constitute an adhoc committee to ascertain
how much had been released to the presidential initiative on the
northeast and how these funds had been utilised from inception to date.
He also asked the senate to investigate the diversion of grains and
other food items meant for IDPs from strategic grain reserves.
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who spoke on the motion, described the humanitarian crisis as an outcome of 'poor coordination, slow response and monumental corruption.' He thereafter, constituted a committee to investigate the problem.
The highlight of the day's plenary session was when the passionate
109 senators agreed to do more than just investigate by donating a sum
of N300,000 each to the IDPs.
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