ECOWAS Parliament: Nigerians, others constitute 40% of 70m refugees globally


Nigerians and other nationalities from the West African sub region constitute 40% of the 70million refugees in the world, Secretary General ECOWAS Parliament  John Azumah has said.

Azumah stated this Monday at the National Assembly, Abuja, during the official inauguration of the West African Parliamentary Press Corps and Senate Press Corps Day.

He said humanitarian situations in the region were products of bad and unimaginative governance.
Painting a gloomy picture of the humanitarian crises and poverty level in the sub region, Azumah, who was represented by Director Parliamentary Affairs and Research of the ECOWAS Parliament Bertin Some, said of this figure, Nigeria has 2.1 million people displaced as a result of Boko Haram insurgency and farmers, herders’ clashes.

He said: “It is regrettable that despite the efforts being made in West Africa, the region is plagued with multiple crises.

“For instance,  Nigeria’s North-east, North-west and North-central are ravaged by Boko Haram terrorism and farmer-herder clashes, which have resulted in the killing of over 20,000 people and with about 2.1 million people displaced.
“This carnage has caused huge humanitarian crisis such that there appears to be a lethargy of addressing the crises with funds by the international agencies.

“In Mali, insurgency has run down the country and displaced many. These crises are replicated in many parts of the region.

“According to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), West Africa is one of the regions of the world with the highest number of refugees and internally displaced persons, estimated to constitute about 40% of the 70million refugees and displaced persons in the world.”
Azumah blamed the sorry state of the region on bad governance, which he said, had rendered many affected countries financially impotent to the point of depending on funds from donor agencies to implement their yearly budgets.
“The political crises that trigger these humanitarian situations in the region are products of bad and unimaginative governance which has plunged a great number of our citizens into poverty and untold hardship.
” The poverty level is so high in the region such that many member states largely depend on donor agencies and international humanitarian agencies to fund their activities and programmes because their streams of revenues can no longer fund the national budgets,” he said.

As a way out of the bad situations, he tasked the media and civil society organisations across the sixteen countries in the region to hold their various governments accountable and ensure transparency.

The vibrancy of the media, he further said, was always evaluated based on the degree of consciousness of the citizens in challenging leaders to live up to their duties and obligations.
Also, in his address, president of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, who was represented by his deputy, Senator Ovie  Omo- Agege, said the 9th National Assembly had put on ground , feasible template for populist synergy with the executive arm of government towards addressing the problems of insecurity, unemployment and high poverty level among the populace .
“These, we believe, can be effectively tackled with required synergy with the executive arm of government and effective oversight duties by the Parliament.
“The press as the fourth estate of the realm and societal watchdog is expected to focus more strongly on the imperative of legislative independence,” he said.

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