In Niger, Nigerian refugees need no camps
But the fleeing Nigerians do not live in camps because they do not need them, local officials said. Diffa regional governor, Colonel Mamadou Fode Camara, told Nigerian officials who went to distribute relief materials, penultimate week, that the Nigerians are not refugees because they are at home. They live in the homes of Nigeriens with […]
But the fleeing Nigerians do not live in camps because they do not need them, local officials said. Diffa regional governor, Colonel Mamadou Fode Camara, told Nigerian officials who went to distribute relief materials, penultimate week, that the Nigerians are not refugees because they are at home. They live in the homes of Nigeriens with whom they share some historical ties, and sometime intermarry.
“Some called them refugees but we see them as people who moved from one of their houses to another. This is because anybody who comes here has a place to go and has his own people and they share what they have with him.” Col Camara said.
Similar in Bossa Local Government which hosts an estimated 1514 Nigerian refugees, there are no designated refugee camps. Bosso local government chairman, Abubakar Muhammad Mora, said the feeing Nigerians are being accommodated by Nigeriens in their homes.
“Our people give them shelter and they eat together, but sometime there is no water, and that is a big challenge,” he said.
Some observers say it is even difficult to differentiate between a Nigerian and Nigerien because they are identical.
“Some time we have the same tribal marks, the difference is not much,” Bosso local government chairman said, adding that the similarity in appearance has been fuelled by years of inter-marriage among people of the two countries.
In addition to the hospitality from the Nigeriens, the Nigerians who find themselves there do not need to change the Nigerian currency [Naira] to Niger’s CFA franc because the Naira is widely accepted, particularly in Diffa region.
It would be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan imposed state of emergency in three States of the north-east -Borno, Yobe and Adamawa. It was intended to address the rising insecurity in these states and beyond.
Though many Nigerians are of the view that the operations going on under the emergency rule have recorded considerable success, they are not without prize as hundreds, nay thousands of Nigerians, have fled to neighbouring countries of Niger and Chad.
As of June 3, the official figures of Nigerians who fled to Niger from Abadam, Baga, Gaidam, Malam Fateri, Mobar, Macina, Yusufari, Yunusari and that of Baga under Kukawa, was 2602 from 460 households.
According to a report filed by UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (UN-OCHA), 1514 Nigerian refugees live in Bosso, 6 in Garin Amadou, 52 in Kablewa, 233 in Tam, 68 in Mamouri, 10 in Tchoukoudjani, 10 in Maine, and 453 in Diffa.
Then there are Nigerien citizens living in Nigeria who also fled the fighting in northern Borno and returned home. Report said there are about 1339 of such returnees in Bosso, 714 are in Kablewa, 42 in Tam, 35 are in Mamouri, 63 are in Tchoukoudjani, 431 are in Maine, while 920 are living Diffa. There are other nationals too, and of those 17 are living in Bosso, 12 in Maine and 65 in Diffa region.
Though Nigeria is not comfortable with UN report, it provided 300 tons of relief items which include 1,150 bags of rice, 2000 blankets, 3000 plastic buckets, 5000 plates, 5000 plastic, 5000 cups, and 2000 cooking pots, among others.
While commenting on the UN figure, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), which distributed those items to the refugees in Diffa regoin , said the number of Nigerian refugees is fluctuating.
Head of the delegation Alhaji Abba Muhammad said, “The number of Nigerians is far less than that, and that the rise of refugees is movement of people which makes the number to go down or up depending on the security improvements in the affected areas.
“This corroborates the position of JTF and the people of the North-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, that there is tremendous improvement of security situation in the areas and people have resumed their normal life.” he said.
The government of Niger Republic, Governor Camara said, was not surprised with the assistant sent by Nigerian government because “what happens in Nigeria also affects Niger. Our hope is that this problem ends as quickly as possible so that everybody will go back to his home and live well.”