Internal displacement: The hidden problem

Internal displacement is a contested phenomenon, and the Nigerian Government does not have an official policy on internally displaced persons (IDPs). One of the reasons for this is that IDPs are usually absorbed by their kin and are rarely found in IDP camps. They are therefore not as ‘visible’ as refugees from neighbouring countries. In addition, the definition of IDPs is flawed. Due to conflicting ideology within its membership, the United Nations (UN) defines IDPs with reference to relocation of people within a state’s borders as a result of violence or disasters. [size=14pt] This definition ignores the fact that one of the major causes of relocation is extreme poverty[/size]. Researchers Chris Opukri and Ibaba Ibaba state that the emphasis on relocation fails to recognise that [size=14pt] "displacement could also be defined as the inability of a social group or community to achieve its interests, particularly, basic and recurrent needs in relation to other groups" [/size] Another researcher, Okechukwu Ibeanu, adds that “[size=14pt] other manifestations of displacement include starvation, mass suicide, identity crisis and vagrancy.”[/size]

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