Nigeria: Rising Misery in the Land and Rising Generosity in Society

1 February 2016
opinion

What this crisis has brought out however is that Nigerians have in general stood up to be counted as generous helpers and supporters to these 2.2 million IDPs. When IDPs run, they do not go to the State and its institutions; they seek help from relations and friends. Many times, they go to places where they know no one, so they simply rely on communities to help them... The Nigerian State simply does not have the capacity or the resources to cater for such huge numbers... It is important that we commend this extraordinary generosity of ordinary Nigerians.

So far, the 21st century has been a period of rising misery in Nigeria. There has been a spectacular growth of the incidence of poverty from 54 percent to 69 percent of the population. Insecurity has grown with rural banditry making the hinterland extremely unsafe and with mass kidnappings in the cities, there is nowhere to run to. Militancy is returning to the Niger Delta and piracy is growing on our territorial waters. The insurgency in the North-East has become a major challenge to the state and society and created a massive humanitarian crisis with multiple dimensions, all of which have led to increased loss of lives, displacements, and destruction of communities and of property. The most serious impact of the Boko Haram insurgency has been the massive loss of lives and property. Lives lost in the process cut across rural and urban community dwellers, including children, women, the elderly and the youth, who account for most of the fatalities, especially where whole communities have been attacked. Security personnel have also been deliberate targets of Boko Haram; the insurgents have killed hundreds of military and police operatives.

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