A 2023 report by International Organisation for Migration showed that as at 2022, a total of 2,375,661 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were identified in 483,467 households.
These IDPs face different challenges such as lack access to clean water, shelter and other basic needs as they eke out a living in camps located in strange land.. However, their greatest challenge is food. Man’s number one necessity.
One of such camps is Malkohi Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camp, located in a suburb of Yola South Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
It was created on November 17, 20214 to absorb and cater for IDPs from neighbouring communities, including far away Yola.
According to the Camp Manager, Mr Peter Paul of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the camp accounts for a population of 358,000 persons with 78 households in dire need of food and other essential commodities.
Mr Danjuma Unanah, a 57 year-old a victim of Boko Haram insurgency from Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno, taking refuge in Malkohi IDPs Camp is a welcome relief.
”We were displaced by Boko Haram insurgents from Gwoza. We are farmers in our ancestral homes. We cannot continue to stay idle so we have to source for land from our host community to continue our farming activities.
“As the breadwinner in my family I can’t continue to depend on relief materials.
”The cost of renting a land for farming here depends on the size of land you want and the crop or seeds you want to plant.
“Many of us here are interest in getting the land for farming but don’t have money’’, he said.
He says they are renting land to farm because it has not been easy to fend for their families, though the ultimate ambition is to return to their homeland.
”Though we want to go back to our ancestral homes because we cannot continue like this we are over 358,000 persons in this camp and 78 of us are family men, we have to devise a means to cater for our families.
“NEMA that provides food for us has stopped doing so for years now. The North-East Development Commission (NEDC) promised to continue with the food supply but we are yet to see them” he said.
Unanah’s experience explained some of challenges IDPs faced in Malkohi Camp trying to access land for farming.
Against this background the Federal Government in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and partners choose to celebrate the 2024 World Humanitarian Day with IDPs in the Camp.
Mr Abel Enitan, said, during a visit to the Camp that government was doing its best to tackle the root causes of conflicts that forced people to leave their ancestral homes.
Enitan is the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
“As we mark this day with the theme, Act for Humanity, there is need to renew our commitment to protecting civilians caught in conflicts, ensuring the safety of aid workers.
“In Nigeria, we are no strangers to the impact of violent conflicts, natural disasters, and other emergencies that have led to significant humanitarian challenges.
“The resilience of our people in the face of adversity is truly remarkable, but it is essential that we work together towards sustainable solutions that address these pressing issues.
“’We must mobilise resources needed to meet growing humanitarian needs; it is also imperative that we advocate for peace building and initiatives aimed at addressing root causes of conflict and violence,’’ he said.
“Halfway through the lean season, the United Nations and partners have raised only thirty per cent of the 306 million US dollar required to address the alarming food insecurity in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.
”In this area 4.8 million people are projected to be food insecure during the lean season, with 230,000 children at risk of life-threatening severe acute malnutrition.
”We facing humanitarian crises that leads to conflicts, inter-communal violence, climate crises or the general hardship, millions of people have been forced to flee their homes, communities have been left in despair.
”But, I still see hope in the middle of this turmoil; there is still humanity and there is still a collective responsibility that we will all share to better protect the people mostly in need because Malkohi community exemplify the humanity we keep calling, this is humanity and this is solidarity’’, he said.
The UNOCHA chief appealed to the host community, Malkohi, to act for humanity and support the IDPs.
”World Humanitarian Day is not just a commemoration; it is a call to action, a call for every one of us to uphold the dignity and rights of those who are affected by conflict, disaster and take action.
”I therefore reaffirm the commitment of the United Nations in Nigeria and its partners stand with you (IDPs), to support you, to work tirelessly to help those who need our help’’, he said.
Fall urged private sector to partner with government to not only provide the immediate assistance but to also look for the best way to address the root cause of humanitarian needs.
“It is important that we continue to implore parties to conflict, to protect civilians and those who are helping and supporting them.
“We also remind the world of our collective responsibility to stand in solidarity with victims of conflict and disasters,’’ he said. (NANFeatures)
