Abuja – Rep. Sani Zoro, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Internally Displaced Persons, Refugees and Initiatives on North-East, has urged the Federal Government to establish a ministry for the reconstruction of the North-East.
Zoro told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja that the call was in line with Federal Government’s determination to provide adequate security and reconstruct the region.
He said that a ministry for the repair of the region would not only accelerate the rehabilitation of the area, but would see that it was properly carried out to meet the needs of the people.
He acknowledged that “in the wisdom of the Federal Government, it wants to secure the place and then rebuild it, but what we are saying is, where is the mechanism for rebuilding.
‘’Why have we not put in place a ministry or commission to be in charge like the Niger Delta Development Commission?
Zoro, however, said that the National Assembly was actually processing the establishment of the North-East Development Commission “so that it will be funded to undertake the massive reconstruction work, especially for public utility’’.
“Police stations have to be rebuilt; schools razed down, health facilities destroyed, and bridges broken must also be rebuilt.
“As for people’s houses and other things, the government and other partners must therefore come to their assistance.
‘’I am not sure if the government will rebuild houses for everybody but normally, the best practice in some countries is that people that lost their property to disasters are given materials to rebuild their houses,’’ he said.
On traumatised women and children in camps as a result of the insurgency, Zoro said that psychosocial therapy was needed to address their plight.
“There are so many women that cannot even talk because they are depressed; they have already slipped into depression.
“When you go to the camps, they are shedding tears because the condition they are in is dehumanising.
“Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) lost automatically all those human rights that we take for granted.
‘’These include the right to life and right to vote in an election because their original cards are misplaced and no identity,’’ Zoro said.
He said that his committee and Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements had initiated a bill for domestication of “Kampala Convention’’.
He explained that the convention which was drawn by the African Union in 2009 had step-by-step road map on how the issues could be addressed in short, medium and long terms for durable solution. (NAN)