Section 40: Interpretation.

In this Act —
"Chairman" means Chairman of the Governing Board established under section 4 of this Act;
"competent officer" means immigration officer, customs officer, police officer, liaison officer of the Commission, or any other relevant security officer;
"country of nationality" in relation to a person who has more than one nationality, means each of the countries of which that person is a national;
"durable solutions" means a situation where internally displaced persons no longer have specific assistance and protection needs that are linked to their displacement and such persons can enjoy their human rights without discrimination resulting from their displacement;
"ecologically induced calamities" means catastrophic events, environmental disasters, biological hazards, natural hazards, or disasters;
"emigrant and immigrant" refer respectively to migrants from the perspective of the country of origin or departure and the country of destination or settlement;
"frontier' means land-frontier, sea-frontier, port, or airport of entry;
"internal displacement" means the involuntary or forced movement, evacuation, or relocation of persons or group of persons within recognised state borders;
"internally displaced persons" are persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalised violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed any of Nigeria's internationally recognised borders;
"IDPs" means internally displaced persons;
"MDAs" means Ministries, Departments, and Agencies;
"members of the Board" include the Chairman;
"members of the family" in relation to a refugee means spouse or spouses, unmarried children under the age of maturity, and any other relative of the refugee, migrant, or an internally displaced person who is dependent on him;
"migrant" means a person who is moving or has moved across an international border or within a state away from his habitual residence regardless of the person’s legal status or whether the movement is voluntary or involuntary;
"Minister" means Minister responsible for matters relating to humanitarian affairs;
"Ministry" means Ministry responsible for matters relating to humanitarian affairs;
"persons of concern" means refugees, asylum seekers, returnees, stateless persons, migrants, Nigerian migrants abroad, internally displaced persons, or such other persons affected by voluntary or involuntary displacement or migration;
"President" means the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria;
"refugee" means a person who falls within the definition provided by —
(a) Article 1 of the 1951 United Nations Convention;
(b) Article 1 of the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugee; and
(c) Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa;
"State" means any State in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999; and
"State Governments" means institutions, agencies, and machinery of government within the constitutionally recognised States of the Federation, including the Federal Capital Territory of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.