The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has disclosed that Nigerians account for approximately three percent (about 3,690,000) of the estimated 123 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) globally.

The UNHCR Country Representative in Nigeria, Mr. Arjun Jain, made this known during an interactive session with the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, in Abuja on Thursday.

Jain explained that about 400,000 Nigerian refugees are currently living in neighbouring countries, including Chad, Cameroon, and parts of Asia, largely as a result of the insurgency in Nigeria’s North-East and unrest in the North-West.

“There are 122-123 million people who are forcefully displaced and three percent of them are Nigerians. There are Nigerian refugees across the borders of Asia, Chad and Cameroon, around 400,000 of them,” Jain said.

“They have been living there for some years now, largely due to the North-East insurgency, but also we have a number of unrest in the North West.

“But in addition to that I think the most concerning number is the millions of internally displaced persons in Nigeria, and the numbers have been slowly creeping up over the past two years.

“We have seen Nigeria as a country that actually aimed to abide by international principles by the Kampala Convention. It’s actually in many ways a leader in protection.

“We are immensely grateful for your leadership, immensely grateful and your name is well known in all units in our circle, not just in Nigeria, not just in West Africa but in our headquarters in Geneva and as a leader in addressing, protecting and resolving situations of displacement.

“We are here to thank you for all you’ve done to protect and assist refugees. We are here to hear from you on what we can do to support and to listen to see how we can further be of service,” Jain added.

In response, Deputy Speaker Kalu called for strengthened cooperation between Nigeria and the UNHCR to address the challenges of displacement, particularly through the domestication of the Kampala Convention.

He proposed a five-point approach, focusing on joint humanitarian responses, technical support for local authorities, the development of climate-displacement risk maps, the creation of participatory frameworks for IDP policymaking, and support for post-conflict sustainable peace management.

“We are not asking merely for support, we are inviting co-creation. We seek collaboration with UNHCR on five fronts: Joint humanitarian responses, especially in nutrition, health, and education for IDPs in high-need zones; Technical support for the implementation of the Kampala Convention, particularly in capacity-building for local authorities; Development of climate-displacement risk maps and predictive response systems, to anticipate and mitigate future crises; Design and rollout of participatory frameworks, ensuring IDP voices are formally included in policymaking; Support for the Post-Conflict Sustainable Peace Management Framework, aligning global best practices with local realities,” Kalu said.

He noted that Nigeria is taking steps to domesticate the Kampala Convention, which was ratified in 2012, through a bill currently before the Senate after passing in the House of Representatives.

“When Nigeria ratified the Kampala Convention in 2012, we made a promise to Africa and to ourselves—to protect and assist the displaced within our borders. But for over a decade, that ratification lived only in ink. It remained a commitment signed but not sealed.

“This is why I took the step to sponsor the Kampala Convention (Domestication and Enforcement) Bill in the House of Representatives. I am pleased to report that the bill has passed in the House and is now before the Senate, having already scaled First Reading. We anticipate its concurrence shortly.

“Domestication is more than a legal procedure; it is how we give breath to principle, how we move from intention to impact. A law that lives only on paper while lives remain in peril is a betrayal of both governance and grace,” he said.

Kalu also pointed to the need for data-driven interventions and said that his office had commissioned a regional needs assessment in the South-East in collaboration with the National Commission.

“To respond effectively, we must first understand clearly. That is why I initiated a comprehensive regional needs assessment in the South-East, in partnership with the National Commission. The goal was not charity, it was clarity. We needed to identify, with precision, the educational, nutritional, medical, and security challenges facing IDPs, so that our response would be rooted in data, not guesswork.

“Whether a person flees gunfire or rising waters, their suffering is equally valid. And our urgency must be equally unrelenting. Yet we must aim higher. We must not only protect lives, but we must also restore futures. The true test of leadership is not how we react to disaster, but how we prepare for peace. Emergency relief may save lives; sustainable peace helps them thrive.

“That is why I have led conversations at the Inter-Parliamentary Union on a Post-Conflict Sustainable Peace Management Framework. We need a model that does not merely rebuild the structures of yesterday, but reimagines the possibilities of tomorrow. We must heal the wound and also close the gate that let the violence in,” he said.

Kalu further outlined local initiatives, including the Peace in South East Project (PISE-P), which promotes dialogue, economic empowerment, and reconciliation as alternatives to violence.

“This is not peace by force, but peace through trust. And while it began in the South-East, its architecture is designed for national replication. Because no region has a monopoly on pain, and none should be denied the dividends of peace.

“To build resilience, we must institutionalise inclusion. IDPs in Nigeria must not be mere recipients of aid, they must be architects of their own recovery.

“As we say in Nigeria, ‘He who wears the shoe knows where it pinches’. It is time to create participatory frameworks that allow IDPs in Nigeria to shape policies, contribute to planning, and engage in decisions that affect their lives. Their voice is not a favour, it is a right,” Kalu said.