Proper resettlement and rehabilitation of IDPs in Nigeria

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (UNOCHA), says 300,000 people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe – 70 percent of them women and children – have fled their homes since early 2013 due to the Boko Haram insurgency. In fact Nigeria is said to have a population of 3.3 million persons displaced […]

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (UNOCHA), says 300,000 people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe – 70 percent of them women and children – have fled their homes since early 2013 due to the Boko Haram insurgency.
In fact Nigeria is said to have a population of 3.3 million persons displaced by conflict – the highest number in Africa – according to a report titled ‘Global Overview 2014: People Internally Displaced by Conflict and Violence’ from the Internal Displaced Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
The deadly attacks on communities by the Boko Haram insurgents and the destruction of properties, businesses and farmlands by other conflicts and disasters have forced many people to flee their towns and villages to refugee camps or take refuge with relations in other parts of the state or country, including in neighbouringcountries such as Cameroon and Niger.
The killings have left many families without a breadwinner; they have left numerous widows, widowers and orphans.
However, the effort of government at various levels, individuals and corporate organizations that are seeing to the welfare of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at various refugee camps in the country is, commendable.
The authorities concerned in the various states, though should note that the continuous stay of the IDPs in camps is another problem, because the children/orphans are cut-off from adequate education, proper parental care and attention.
In the global response to the plight of IDPs, the World Bank has said it will spend 2.1 billion dollars through its International Development Agency(IDA), on low interest rate loans to governments. This facility when collected should be channeled to reclaim and resettle the IDPs and structures destroyed by the insurgents.
Also hope-raising is the meeting President Muhammadu Buhari held recently with representatives of the World Bank, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Health Organization (WHO), in Washington, on the rebuilding of the region affected by insurgency. Here too, priority should be given to the resettlement of the IDPs and not only rebuilding and updating infrastructure.
The authorities should keep in mind that the widows and widowers are left with psychological trauma and orphans to manage; the widows and orphans’ future is bleak without proper rehabilitation and reunification. Appropriate action should be taken to properly resettle the children at various credible orphanage homes/centres across the states.
The widows should either be assisted to remarry using the Kano Kwankwasiyya style of widows/divorcees marriage or be given entrepreneurial training and some capital to commence small-scale businesses to be self-employed and have means of sustaining their families.
On their part, the men should also to be duly registered and given soft loans to enable them continue their various businesses which the insurgents’ attacks have left in shambles.
There is fear that the IDPs may become subject of attack or recruitment by the insurgents; this should not be allowed to happen, with proper resettlement.
By Hadiza Abubakar Aliyu.
Umaru Musa ‘Yar’adua University Katsina