FG Urged to Improve Welfare of 2.9m IDPs in Northeast

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan 

A University of Ibadan Data and Displacement Research Team, has said sound data ecosystem is needed to improve the lives of over 2.9 million Nigerians displaced in the Northeast due to Boko Haram and other violent crimes.

This is just as it called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to invest in technological infrastructure that will make data collection on IDPs coherent to improve their welfare and conditions.

The Lead Investigator, Data and Displacement Project funded by the United Kingdom Arts department and Humanities Research Council and led by Prof. Vicki Squire of University of Warwick, Dr. Olufunke Fayehun, made the disclosures in a statement made available yesterday in Ibadan.

According to her, ensuring coherent data collection on IDPs in the Northeast will guide against wastages and ensure that the IDPs benefit from the ethical data collected to further their welfare.

Fayehun, an Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan, said displacement by armed conflict has an extended consequences on those affected, including mortality, multiple displacements, loss of livelihood and supportive existential systems.

The statement read, “As you know, there are more than 2.9 million internally displaced persons in North-eastern Nigeria, a significant location of armed conflicts in the country. This has led to extended consequences, including mortality, multiple displacements, loss of livelihood and supportive existential systems. While the focus of many humanitarian and diplomatic interventions in IDP camps in Nigeria has been on immediate livelihood issues such as feeding, medical care, clothing and shelter, key stakeholders have communicated the need for a robust data ecosystem to support such interventions.