By Mercy Adi
President Bola Tinubu has signed into law a bill seeking to strengthen the protection and assistance of internally displaced persons in Nigeria.
The legislation, titled “Act to Give Effect to the Provisions of the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria; and for Related Matters,” domesticated the African Union’s Kampala Convention and establishes a legal framework for addressing internal displacement in the country.
The bill, which received presidential assent in February 2026, was sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, alongside six other lawmakers.
The co-sponsors include Jonathan Gaza Gbefwi, Khadijat Bukar Ibrahim, Blessing Onuh, Nasiru Shehu, Felix Uche Nwaeke and Steve Fatoba.
The legislation was earlier passed by both chambers of the National Assembly before being transmitted to the President for assent.
The new law seeks to domesticate and enforce the provisions of the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons, adopted by African countries in 2009 during the Kampala Convention.
It provides a legal and institutional framework for the prevention, mitigation and elimination of the root causes of internal displacement while ensuring the protection of the rights and dignity of displaced persons.
The Act also outlines the obligations and responsibilities of government agencies and other actors involved in humanitarian interventions and provides a comprehensive and gender-sensitive framework for national response, coordination and collaboration in addressing displacement.
Nigeria has for years grappled with a severe humanitarian crisis resulting in millions of internally displaced persons, largely due to insurgency, banditry, farmer-herder conflicts and natural disasters.
Many of the displaced persons live in overcrowded and under-resourced camps with limited access to healthcare, education and basic services.
Reacting to the development, Kalu commended the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for signing the bill into law, saying the move demonstrated the administration’s commitment to addressing the plight of displaced citizens.
He said, “By signing this Act, the President has given a human face to the suffering of internally displaced persons and demonstrated his commitment to addressing their plight.
“We must work together to address the humanitarian crisis and provide durable solutions for IDPs. The international community is also called upon to partner with Nigeria in addressing the root causes of displacement.”