Nigeria’s path to durable solutions: From displacement to dignity

When I met Maman Kurnatu, a women leader in Malkohi settlement, Adamawa, this week, she told me how she spent years sleeping on the floor of a crowded classroom with her four children after fleeing violence. “At night, I would lie awake, wondering if my children would ever know what it feels like to have […]

When I met Maman Kurnatu, a women leader in Malkohi settlement, Adamawa, this week, she told me how she spent years sleeping on the floor of a crowded classroom with her four children after fleeing violence. “At night, I would lie awake, wondering if my children would ever know what it feels like to have a home again,” she said.

Today, Maman lives in a modest house in what was once an empty settlement known as Malkohi camp. Her children now run through streets that were bare ground only a few years ago. Her story is one of resilience and determination, but also of what Nigeria can achieve if it commits to durable solutions for the millions displaced.

More than 3.5 million Nigerians remain displaced due to conflict, insecurity, and climate shocks. In the North East alone, 2.25 million women, men, and children are internally displaced; in the North Central and North West, another 1.32 million have yet to return home. These are not just statistics. They are farmers, traders, teachers, and students who deserve safety, livelihoods, and a place to belong.

The good news is that Nigeria has already laid a framework to address this. The National Policy on Internally Displaced Persons, adopted in 2021, set clear principles for safe and voluntary return, resettlement,  and local integration. Additionally, In 2024, the BAY states launched Action Plans for Durable Solutions, signalling a shift away from endless emergency aid toward nationally and community-led recovery.

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In my visit, I witnessed how these frameworks are moving from paper to practice, how state and local authorities, and traditional leaders as well as communities are working from shared plans and, crucially, shared priorities.

But the question is what it will take to convert these frameworks into measurable gains in people’s lives. From my perspective I see six priorities:

First, government-led, area-based planning. Solutions must be owned locally by authorities and communities together. Early, visible improvements like reopened roads, functioning schools, and repaired water points build confidence that recovery is real.

Second, link services to jobs. Security without livelihoods is no solution. Reconnecting displaced families to markets and income opportunities is critical to sustaining recovery.

Third, make housing, land, and property central. Secure tenure and fair ways to resolve disputes determine whether returns succeed. Tools like community-based dispute resolution and protections for women’s property rights make integration last. I was encouraged to hear the Deputy Governor of Adamawa confirm the state government’s approval of 150 hectares of land to be allocated to displaced families for resettlement and farming.

Fourth, climate-proof recovery. Floods and droughts are recurring drivers of displacement. In Adamawa alone, floods recently displaced more than 15,100 people. Investments in climate-smart agriculture and resilient housing can help reduce such risks in the future.

Fifth, prioritise peace and protection. Safety is more than the absence of violence. Communities need justice, protection services, psychosocial care, and inclusive dialogue to heal divisions and reduce stigma.

Finally, use data for accountability. Tracking whether families secure homes, children return to school, and women access livelihoods ensures progress is real and not just promised.

Nigeria now has the policies, political will in key states, and growing alignment among partners. What is needed is consistency. To stick to the plans, finance them coherently, measure what ma4ers, and above all keep people at the center.

If we keep people at the centre, the story of displacement in Nigeria can shift from one of dependency to one of dignity and recovery. The first chapters are already being written in places like Adamawa and Benue.

Before leaving Adamawa, I met Aisha Usman, chairlady of the Association of People Living with Disabilities. Although she can no longer farm due to her condition, she and other women have learned to make crafts to support their children. “It may not be much,” she said, “but it is ours, we can stand on our own again.” Their resilience is a reminder that durable soluEons are not abstract policies. They are lived in homes rebuilt, in markets reopened, and in families who find ways to restore dignity against all odds.

Durable solutions are not a one-year project. They are a long-term commitment to restore choice and dignity. Families like Maman’s and Aisha’s must be able to decide where to rebuild their lives, confident that their decision is safe and sustainable.

 

Ugochi Daniels is the IOM Deputy Director General for Operations