•A child at Nigeria’s IDP camp
The deplorable state of the nation, the hardship level, heartbreaking state of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and the increasing poverty rate in Nigeria is a damning indictment of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Mandate promise to Nigerians.
The further suspension of the activities of Humanitarian affairs and all departments of the Ministry shows lack of sincerity on the side of Mr. President to address the dire need of the poorest of the poor.
These camps, intended as a safe haven for those fleeing conflict and instability, have become a cruel mockery of their intended purpose.
The inhumane living conditions, inadequate access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunities, protein indeficiencies, the persistent threat of violence and abuse are a stark testament to the Ministry’s inactiveness to fulfill its mandate.
World bank reported: “Between January and April, Ten million Nigerian people have fallen below poverty line and another five million between April and June 2024; with the poverty rate across the country, the posing question is, “what will be the fate of the fifteen million Nigerians that fell below poverty line”?
Remember in May 2023 , this government met 133 million multi- dimensionally poor Nigerians and things seemed to be going well with good gains recorded between September and December 2023. However following the inactivity of the ministry from January till date, things have turned for the worse as a whooping 15 million people have fallen under the poverty line.
This neglect is not only a violation of human rights but also a stain on Nigeria’s reputation as a United Nations member state.
The lack of action on the part of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation which is basically the Ministry directly connected with the poorest of the poor and has the mandate to solve this issue, is particularly abhorrent given the government’s awareness of the ongoing suffering of IDPs.
These are individuals who have been forced from their homes, lost loved ones, and endured untold trauma, only to be met with further indignity in the very camps meant to offer them refuge. Heavy rainfall and strong winds have caused serious damage to shelters and infrastructure in camps and other sites for IDPs since the onset of Nigeria’s rainy season in June.
“Nigeria poverty rate is estimated to have reached 38.9% in 2023, with an estimated 87 million Nigerians living below the poverty line; in extreme poverty; making the country, world’s second-largest poor population after India”, said World bank in a recent report.
The Nigerian government has a moral and ethical obligation to provide for the basic needs and safety of its most vulnerable citizens, particularly those who have been displaced through no fault of their own to avoid more Nigerians falling below poverty line.
It is high time President Bola Ahmed Tinubu valued and prioritised the poorest of the poor and internally displaced Nigerians, suffering camps congestion and delays in delivery of basic service from the Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Ministry.
If adequate actions are not taken now, the well-being of IDPs will be gravely impacted in the second quarter of 2024, thus spurring more increase of Nigeria poverty rates.
* Edmond Esiri, a public affair analyst, writes in from Abuja
