
Speaker Abbas Tajudeen has said the House of Representatives would ensure the domestication of critical international treaties, protocols and agreements signed by Nigeria aimed at. addressing humanitarian crisis in the country.
Speaking when delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Nigeria led by Yann Bonzon visited him in Abuja, the Speaker said he will reach out to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and the Ministry of Justice to ensure the domestication of international conventions that would aid humanitarian activities in Nigeria.
The Speaker commended the ICRC for its interventions in the humanitarian crises across Nigeria and for its contributions to humanity and interventions in Nigeria, especially in the North-East and the North-West.
“I’m fully aware of some of the challenges with some of the treaties and protocols that Nigeria has not domesticated,” the Speaker noted, while assuring that concrete steps would be taken on them under his leadership.
Speaker Abbas informed his guests that the House has a standing committee on treaties, protocols and agreements, which oversees Nigeria’s bilateral and multilateral relationships, adding that “It is only in the House that we have a Committee on Internally Displaced Persons”
The Speaker appealed to the Red Cross to work hand-in-hand with the House for a better understanding of interventions and allocation of resources to critical aspects of humanitarian crisis in Nigeria.
Bonzon presented an engagement plan to the Speaker, while announcing that the Red Cross was planning a workshop with stakeholders to share ideas on different topics, especially on internally displacement and managing humanitarian crisis.
He said the ICRC has been working with the House of Representatives and the National Assembly by extension for decades. “We are here to talk about our activities in Nigeria,” he said.
The Red Cross boss congratulated the Speaker for the successful unveiling of the House’ Legislative Agenda earlier on Tuesday, noting that some issues in the policy document are of interest to the ICRC.
Bonzon said with Speaker Abbas’ record of sponsoring most bills in the 9th House, the lawmaker would be “a great support to the Red Cross.”