Addressing Nigeria’s Humanitarian Challenge

Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that the recently commemorated World Humanitarian Day provided an opportunity to reinforce the need for Nigeria and her development partners to holistically address the nation’s humanitarian crisis by stopping the triggers, as well as effectively resettling the displaced population

Nigeria contributes 4.3 per cent of the global figures of 79.5 million in terms of humanitarian crises, making her one of the top 10 countries with the highest risks of a humanitarian disaster. That was in 2019. Now? Nothing much has changed, rather, the situation has worsened.

For stakeholders and those in the know, the 2021 World Humanitarian Day (WHD) was an opportunity to tackle the challenge and posit ways to address the triggers of displacement given that new displacements in Nigeria will worsen the humanitarian crisis, thereby exposing the displaced population to vulnerabilities that may lead them to crime.

In a newsletter made available to THISDAY, Nextier Security, Peace and Development (SPD), an international development consulting firm based in Nigeria which utilises evidence-based research and policy in developing knowledge and skills for governing the society, harped that as the world marks the WHD, new conversations, especially for Nigeria and her development partners, should be managing the humanitarian crisis, stopping the triggers, and resettling the displaced population.

World Humanitarian Day
According to the United Nations, in 2021, 235 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection, noting that the number has risen to one in 33 people worldwide – a significant increase from one in 45 at the launch of the Global Humanitarian Overview 2020, which was already the highest figure in decades.

With the alarming figures, the UN and partner organisations aim to assist 160 million people most in need across 56 countries and will require a total of $35 billion to do so.

Therefore, the WHD, held every August 19, seeks to “educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilise political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity”.

Statistics
According to Nextier SPD, in 2021, millions of Nigerians suffer from mounting humanitarian crises resulting from conflict and natural disasters. In the North-east, 11 years of the Boko Haram conflict has displaced about 1.8 million people in Nigeria.

They further revealed that combining displacements in the broader Lake Chad Basin (LCB) puts the displaced population at 2.6 million. Ruthless banditry in the North-west has displaced about 160,000 people in Sokoto, Kaduna, Kebbi, Niger, Zamfara and Katsina States.

“Also, about 41,000 people have fled the zone to the Niger Republic. Down South, years of Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis has pushed more than 60,000 people across the Bakassi peninsula into Nigeria, according to Assessment Capacities Project (ACAPS), an independent Humanitarian information source. Years of violence between farmers and herders have displaced about 300,000 people across the country,” they also posited.

Displacement Margins
Stressing that Nigeria’s displaced population are trapped in margins of vulnerabilities, the group noted that the humanitarian crisis being experienced by the displaced population range from seeking refuge in overburdened and often unsafe camps, limited access to food, healthcare and education, adding that “millions of people in the humanitarian crisis face malnutrition, inadequate social protection, sexual violence, and uncertain timelines for a return to normalcy.

“Continued displacement resulting from the conflict and natural causes may increase the humanitarian indices, especially in displacement camps where they seek refuge and succour. According to the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Humanitarian Needs Overview 2021 for Nigeria shows that about 8.7 million people require urgent humanitarian assistance. The displaced population dwell in overburdened camps for internally displaced persons with mounting welfare needs and where essential structures are luxuries”.

New Conversations

For NextierSPD, as the world marks WHD, new conversations, especially for Nigeria and her development partners, are managing the humanitarian crisis, stopping the triggers, and resettling the displaced population.

The newsletter stated that “for instance, with about 8.7 million people needing urgent humanitarian assistance in North-east Nigeria, only 6.4 million people are targeted. About $1.01 billion is needed for the intervention. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Nigeria’s Humanitarian Response Plan 2021 indicates that with incoming funds of about $37 million, only 3.7 per cent of the requirement will be covered.”

Gaps

The group further posited that despite the enormous gaps between available funds and targeted populations in humanitarian crises, other challenges exist. “First, the management of internally displaced persons’ camps has been linked to corruption scandals. A 2016 report by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) holds that “corruption is killing children in internally displaced person camps”.

“The report highlights accusations of relief materials diversion and reduction of IDPs’ rations by camp officials. Second, inadequate regulations within the camps make it difficult for relief services to reach the target population. An unannounced visit by the Governor of Borno state on March 7, 2021, led to the discovery of about 650 fake IDP households who pose as displaced persons to receive relief materials meant for IDPs.”

Efforts by Government

To effectively tackle such humanitarian challenges, President Muhammadu Buhari, on August 21, 2019, established the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and appointed Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq as the substantive minister.

The ministry was charged on developing humanitarian policies and provide effective coordination of national and international humanitarian interventions, ensure strategic disaster mitigation, preparedness and response and manage the formulation and implementation of fair focused social inclusion and protection programmes in Nigeria with a vision to also create sustainable and inclusive social systems that promote human dignity in the country.

Way Forward
Suggesting solutions, the newsletter stated that “since internally displaced persons suffer from inadequate supplies, the government must ensure that the target population can access available relief materials. Corruption and poor camp management services further reduce the availability to solve humanitarian challenges.

“The government needs to set up a task force that will focus on monitoring activities in camps and ensure that designated materials get to the right people. Additionally, the government must seek accounting experts’ services to set up a digital framework for distributing relief materials to IDPs. The framework will form the basis for a routine audit of relief materials distribution in the camps.

“There is also a need to address the triggers of displacement. New displacements in Nigeria will worsen the humanitarian crisis, expose the displaced population to vulnerabilities that may lead them to crime. Nigeria contributes 4.3 per cent of the global figures (79.5 million), making her one of the top 10 countries with the highest risks of a humanitarian disaster in 2019.

“As the Boko Haram insurgency continues, unmanaged Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis, ongoing farmer-herder crisis, banditry and other conflict vistas and natural disasters, more people will be trapped in the humanitarian crises waiting to be returned and resettled by the Nigerian government.

“Like the rest of the world, Nigeria must attend first attend to its displacement population. Second, it must also address the triggers of displacement. The achievement of returning and resettling internally displaced persons will be more meaningful if the causes of displacement have been relatively addressed.

“Government must also ensure that the returning population are resettled in a secure environment where they can restart their lives. This will ensure that they are not displaced again due to insecurity or internal crisis between them. Therefore, security efforts must be increased to manage the escalating crisis that forms triggers of displacement.

“Early warning mechanisms must also be tailored to specific disasters of natural causes, especially in locations prone to it. Nigeria’s population in humanitarian crisis are exposed to conflict and natural disasters that lumped them into humanitarian needs and endless cycles of exposure to disease outbreaks and reduced availability of essential survival tools.”