Plight of internally displaced persons

The internally displaced persons live in an unhealthy environment where they languished in frustration for many months or years of their precious life. Yet the government and economic advantaged individuals do not recognise how it feels like living in a neighborhood where there is no single slightest opportunity for one to actualize his/her dream or […]

The internally displaced persons live in an unhealthy environment where they languished in frustration for many months or years of their precious life. Yet the government and economic advantaged individuals do not recognise how it feels like living in a neighborhood where there is no single slightest opportunity for one to actualize his/her dream or going through hardship, knowing that you don’t belong to it, which is just a product of circumstances. 

Look at how the insurgent activities of Boko Haram in the past six years have forced over a million people to flee their homes. This has resulted in an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the North eastern part of the country and the Lake Chad region coupled with the Niger Delta Avengers and other ethno religious crisis leaving thousands of people of all sexes and ages comprising peasant farmers, fishermen, teachers, women, children, politicians, clerics, traders, professionals and security operatives helpless and homeless too. This is really disheartening, as some could no longer eat good food or drink sanitary water.      

The current statistics of the National Population Commission NPC estimates that 80 percent of internally displaced persons in Nigeria are women and children who hardly the initiators of most conflicts but end up being the severest victims. For women and children, the situation is worsened because it is a case of double jeopardy as the war situations turn life into a ‘living hell’ for them because crimes are committed against their dignity and liberty. 

According to Displacement Tracking Matric, revealed that there were 1,188,018 IDPs in Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe states. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) also identified 47,276 IDPS in Plateau, Nasarawa, Abuja, Kano and Kaduna states in Northern Nigeria, and that the highest numbers of IDPs are in Borno 672,714 followed by Adamawa 220,159 and Yobe 135,810 IDPS. The report further reveals that in Taraba, 79.7 percent of IDPs have been displaced by communal clashes. Yet, spotlight is not place on this people. 

The media should do everything possible to alleviate the plight of victims by highlighting their conditions and drawing the attention of the government, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders which can succour and improve their conditions. Government on their part should come to the plight of masses especially the internally displaced persons and other disadvantaged people in the society. This will not just reduce the sufferings of the internally displaced persons but also in creating a crime free society. Because a society where people are living in agony and pains, dubious activities are bound to occurs. A stitch in time saves nine. We must come together and speak with one voice and say no to this disarrays. 

Aondover Eric Msughter wrote from the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano [email protected]