By Gift Olivia Samuel, The Sight News
ABUJA: Civil rights advocacy group—Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has called for the the reform and reposition of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) under the leadership of Mrs. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim as the Honourable Federal Commissioner/CEO of the agency.
This is just as the group pointed out, that alleged misgovernance, executive excesses, alleged corruption, and loss of focus have allegedly become the order of the day at the NCFRMI, which is supposed to cater to the welfare of about the most vulnerable set of Nigerians and foreign nationals displaced by insurgency and other forms of insecurity, natural disasters, and communal clashes.
The HURIWA National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, who said this at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, noted that on resumption of office in June 2021, Mrs. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim allegedly awarded contract of N35 million for the furnishing of the office of the Honourable Federal Commissioner (HFC), which the previous HFC, Senator Bashir Lado, had reportedly tastefully renovated and refurbished less than five months before his redeployment to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP).
He emphasized that HURIWA considers this a gross misapplication of public funds, especially given that the Commission’s zonal offices are in total disrepair with staff lacking logistics and basic office furniture to carry out their legitimate duties.
“The Maiduguri, Enugu, Yola, Kano, Kebbi, and Ilorin zonal and field offices are seriously lacking in furniture and working tools.We gather that some staff even come to the office with their personal chairs from their homes. Yet, the FHC’s office was allegedly furnished at the cost of N35 million”, he said.
He further explained, that the Maiduguri office, which oversees the bulk of the IDPs, does not have an operational vehicle as HURIWA learnt from reliable sources, although the United Nations Refugee High Commission (UNHCR) donated a Toyota Landcruiser as an operational vehicle to the Maiduguri office, adding that Mrs. Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has allegedly refused to release the vehicle to that office six months after resuming office.
Onwubiko stated that Mrs. Sulaiman-Ibrahim was allegedly never qualified to head the agency with no known background in any related work, but was appointed Special Assistant to the Minister of State (Education), then DG NAPTIP (contrary to the Act establishing the agency), and then deployed to NCFRMI after six months at NAPTIP.
He listed other issues bedeviling NCFRMI under Mrs. Sulaiman-Ibrahim to include: Flagrant Disregard for Procurement Procedures; Arson and Intimidation of Staff; Too Many Personal Aides and Arbitrary deployment of external Hands and Transfer; and Operation Zero Hunger, which hands out pittances to these vulnerable persons
Following these, HURIWA called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq to: “Immediately investigate the Allegations and if found to be meritorious and credible then relieve Mrs. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim of her appointment as the Honourable Federal Commissioner (HFC)/CEO of the Refugees Commission before to save the soles of the IDPs, refugees, and other persons of concern and before more harm is done to the mandate of the Commission.
“Direct the immediate commencement of a forensic audit of the Commission’s finances, including all procurements since her assumption of office in June 2021; Direct the immediate commencement of investigations into the alleged arson in the procurement office of Commission, vandalisation of the car of the Director of Procurement and removal of vital documents.
“Direct the IGP and DG, DSS to protect the staff of the Commission, including union leaders, from alleged abuses, intimidation, and assaults, and to investigate the veracity of the alleged bugging of the phones and offices of staff and bring anyone found culpable to book; Direct the Commission to desist from threatening staff, including married women, who frown at the ongoings in the Commission, with deployment to field offices.
“Direct the Commission to immediately release the operational vehicle (Landcruiser) donated to the Commission by the UNHCR for fieldwork in Borno State to the Maiduguri Office; and Direct the Commission to stop the Operation Zero Hunger and revert to the normal distribution of food and household items to IDPs and refugees in line with its mandate and Appropriation Act to investigate the spending on Operation Zero Hunger food packages, establishing what funds from the Commission were used to supplement DEPOWA to ascertain if there has been value for money”.
They expressed the belief that these steps, if urgently taken, will go a long way in restoring the confidence of staff and development partners in the Commission, as well as enhancing the welfare of IDPs, refugees, and other Persons of Concern.
HURIWA also stated that running the office in a transparent and accountable way will give the Federal Government the opportunity to reposition the agency in line with its mandate, especially at this critical time that the nation faces the multiple challenges of insurgency, banditry, and communal clashes.
