A bill seeking for domestication and enforcement of African Union Convention on the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s) in Africa on Wednesday passed first reading at the Nigerian Senate.
Recall, the National Research and Innovation Council establishment bill also scaled first reading at the upper legislative chamber on Tuesday.
Speaking shortly after plenary with select journalists on Wednesday, the sponsor of the two bills, Senator Frank Ibezim (Imo North) said for every bill that has come into existence, there must be challenge that it seek to address.
He explained that the domestication and enforcement bill is actually apt now, stressing that since the COVID-19 pandemic, “we have had lots and lots of issues and every nation that will develop will have to deal with these issues as they come. So that is why we want to deal with now”.
He said “we have been talking about IDPs, there is difference between Internally Displaced People and then refugees. Everybody is displaced but when you are displaced in a particular territory, a nation that is the IDP issue we are talking about.
“There are so many things that come with it. You have been hearing about IDP’s in the North West, truly speaking, in every part of Nigeria, we have internally displaced people. whether it is because of challenge of harsh weather, rain or displacement, whatever it is, what we are talking about is how to manage our people in Nigeria that have been displaced” Ibezim said.
Continuing, “Are we talking about how to shelter them, how to feed or cloth them, how to rehabilitate them, there are a lot of issues that have not been dealt with in this country.
“There are so many aspect of dealing with Internal Displaced People and those aspects are the aspects we want to capture fully and holistically, so that we would assure the well-being of our people” he added.
Commenting on the second bill, Senator Ibezim noted “On Tuesday I also had the first reading on the National Research and Innovation Counseling Establishment bill 2021, for me any nation that would grow would at least remember his past experiences”.
The lawmaker emphasised that one way that Nigeria would develop just like every developed nation, is through science and Technology, Research.
“We need to really document research works so that we can fall back to it and also expand from it. So we have had so many ideas but I am talking about the council so that this Research Council will properly put in place to develop our science and technology. Not just about Science and Technology but other aspects, without proper research and innovation and also capturing it well. Because you see a lot of people will just copy and paste and it’s not helping us as a nation. So those two bills are dear to my heart”.
Ibezim also spoke on the significance on the significance of classroom library.
“I am sure that you all know that I have talked about “Classroom Library foundational education. I have always said that we have challeges in this country emanating from youth restiveness, drug infestation, unemployment and I believe that all these challenges can be solved by introducing proper foundational education.
“Growing up as a child, we had libraries and during long vacation, some of us go to one library or the other and try to read one thing or the other. Today we don’t even have the culture neither do we have the books.
“So part of what I am working on in the past three years when I was advising the Minister of State for Education in the last dispensation, was trying to bring back class room library into our classroom and into primary and nursery school so that we can get foundation education right.
“You see what we have for instance, we are talking about COVID-19 pandemic, If you have primary one and nursery kids and you are able to teach them in the way and manner kids like to learn- kids learn with colour books and you are teaching them how to fight germs as children, you are already teaching them how to fight the pandemic”
According to the lawmaker, the two bills passed the first reading, saying “we are gearing for the second reading when I will do the lead debate”.
