The Chairman, Senate Committee on Special Duties, Senator Yusuf A. Yusuf, has revealed that the federal government expends a whooping N5 billion monthly on the welfare of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the northeast.
Senator Yusuf made the disclosure to newsmen in Abuja after his committee’s oversight visit to various IDP camps in the northeast.
According to the lawmaker, the government must out an end to the “IDP syndrome”, stressing that the lacked the resources to sustain such huge spendings on the IDPs.
He used the opportunity to call on the security agencies to intensify their efforts in ensuring that insurgency is brought to an end, to enable people return to their various towns and villages safely.
In his words, “It is a very sad thing that I have seen in the IDP camps. There are 2.7 million people in the IDP camps. No amount of resources that can sustain or take care of their palliatives.
“We cannot continue to believe that the IDP syndrome should continue. We must exit it at one time or the other. It is a sad thing.
“There are children who are orphans in all respect and most of them are below the age of 18.
He maintained that, although the efforts of the government and the development partners are commendable, the resources are still very small.
“We cannot sustain spending about 5 billion Naira a month to take care of these people.
Speaking also on the new electricity tarrif and fuel price hike, Senator Yusuf maintained that the current exchange rate contributed significantly to hikes.
“The dollar price of our imported products has not changed much. What has changed much is the value of the Naira vis-a-vis the dollar. Until we get the realistic value of our currency, we may not be able to sort out this problem.”
