Situating IDPs in Nigeria’s Policies and Economy

Nigeria needs durable solutions that address the many challenges its displaced populations face. With 2.6 million IDPs, addressing displacement in Nigeria is both a moral and economic obligation.

Written by Princess Anene-Maidoh

May 12, 2021

With 2.6 million IDPs, addressing displacement in Nigeria is both a moral and economic obligation. PUBLIC SERVICES INTERNATIONAL

As of 2019, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), there were 50.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) around the world. In particular, Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, has about 2.6 million people living in displacement. Several factors contribute to displacement in Nigeria. Since 2014, Boko Haram’s insurgency has led to considerable displacement in the North East. Additionally, farmer-herder tensions in the Middle Belt and North West have caused eruptions of criminal and communal violence that have caused people to flee their homes. Climate change also factors into this issue, with flooding triggering most of the 157,000 new displacements from natural disasters in 2019. These challenges are unending and create a continuous cycle of people being displaced, often more than once in their lifetime. Nigeria needs durable solutions that address the many challenges its displaced populations face.

THE INADEQUACY OF NIGERIAN IDP SETTLEMENTS

Within IDP camps especially, displaced Nigerians face many difficulties. For instance, in the camps in Abuja, living conditions are extremely poor and housing structures are uninhabitable. Shelter is precarious due to congestion and damages from rain, and children face high risk of disease and infection. Education is also difficult to attain for displaced children whose parents cannot afford to enrol them in schools outside the settlements. These children are largely restricted to IDP schools that are not sufficiently equipped to deliver adequate and quality education. Additionally, some IDPs do not have access to quality healthcare facilities and proper medical aid. They only have access to first aid services from camp coordinators who have no medical training.

Finally, within IDP settlements, women are vulnerable to sexual and gender-based violence due to their increased vulnerability as displaced persons. Government officials who take advantage of their positions of power have sexually abused women in the camps. Internally displaced women and girls are exploited by camp leaders and policemen and these perpetrators are almost never held accountable. With these troubling conditions, there is sufficient incentive for IDPs to leave the settlements and move into cities in hopes for a better environment.

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About the Author

Princess Anene-Maidoh

is a graduate student in Law and Diplomacy at the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

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Situating IDPs in Nigeria’s Policies and Economy

THE INADEQUACY OF NIGERIAN IDP SETTLEMENTS