A recent study carried out by the United
Nations High Commission for Refugees
(UNHCR) revealed that no fewer than 36, 000
people have fled their homes in the North-
eastern Nigerian states of Borno, Yobe and
Adamawa to seek refuge in neighbouring
nations, on account of the Boko Haram
insurgency.
According to Ms. Angele Dikongue-Atangana,
the UNHCR Representative to Nigeria and
ECOWAS, while about 19,000 of the 36,000
refugees are Chadians and Nigeriens who have
been forced to return home, the remaining
17,000 are bonafide Nigerians who are now
seeking asylum in neighbouring Cameroun,
Chad and Niger. This is a scary wake-up call
to Nigeria to find a quick solution to the
insurgency that is forcing our compatriots into
refugee camps in surrounding countries.
Incidentally, these three countries into which
the fleeing Nigerians have flocked, have over
the years had many of their citizens seeking
refuge and better lives in Nigeria. In essence,
they do not have the capacity to accommodate
the influx of such a large number of refugees
from Nigeria or any other country. As a matter
of fact, none of our neighbouring countries has
the capacity to handle the kind of refugee
situation that could arise from any serious
breakdown of law and order in Nigeria.
Although Dikongue-Atangana said the UNHCR
“is working in collaboration with these countries
to ensure that the refugee situation of the
asylum seekers is determined, so as to
guarantee their safety”, not too much can be
expected from these countries.
It is disheartening that Nigerians now have to
resort to seeking asylum in less endowed
countries like Cameroun, Chad and Niger. This
is more so because, out of about 1,800
refugees in Nigeria as at the end of last month,
865 were Cameroonians. Until now, Nigeria had
provided a safe haven for refugees from other
African countries, notably Liberia, Sierra Leone,
Mali, Chad, Niger, Sudan, Cote d’Ivoire and
Congo. Our porous borders have made it easy
for those fleeing from unemployment, hunger
and starvation in neighbouring countries to
cross into Nigeria without any form of
documentation. All these are outside the fact
that Nigeria had to formally integrate over
1,200 of the last batch of Liberian refugees into
the local Nigerian com,munities they were
resident, while about 1,700 of them opted to
return to Liberia.
We are now faced with a situation in which
citizens of our Big Brother nation, Nigeria, are
now running to countries that are just
managing to survive, because of Islamist
insurgents! We have always raised the alarm
on the need to do everything possible to avert
any cataclysmic situation that could lead to a
serious refugee situation in Nigeria.
Although Nigeria is the fourth largest West
African country, in terms of landmass, its over
160 million population is more than the
population of the rest of West Africa put
together. This means that the entire West
Africa, put together, cannot absorb the refugees
that would be thrown up by any serious crisis in
Nigeria.
Until now, we have only had to cope with the
problem of internally displaced persons,
brought about by flood, communal and
localized religious clashes. Incidentally, we
have not done a great job of coping with this
situation. Internally displaced persons from the
numerous Jos crises are still crying for
attention while we are still playing politics with
the fate of those internally displaced by Boko
Haram attacks.
The quest of 17,000 displaced Nigerians for
asylum in neighbouring countries, on account
of insecurity, is bad for Nigeria’s image. The
Federal Government should step up its
campaigns for an end to insurgency, and the
restoration of peace in northern Nigeria, to stem
the trend. It is not enough to deploy soldiers to
major towns and cities in the troubled areas,
leaving the rural areas largely unprotected.
Much as we do not delude ourselves that the
war against Boko Haram can be won overnight,
the time has come to rethink the current
approach to the war, as the mindless killings
have yet to abate.
According to the UNHCR, the world is facing its
worst refugee crises in 20 years, as war and all
manner of conflicts are forcing people to flee
their homes. The organisation noted that “the
humanitarian situation in West Africa has
worsened notably due to insecurity and high
unemployment rate, as well as drought.”
With the bulk of those displaced in various West
African countries looking up to Nigeria for
succour and stability, it is almost unthinkable
that Nigeria would now be the one spewing out
tens of thousands of refugees. The
consequences for the country, and the region at
large, are better imagined than experienced.
That is the more reason why we must do
everything possible to arrest the nation’s
security challenge.
While we commend the Federal Government for
the deployment of more soldiers and the
extension of the emergency imposed on the
most affected states, we call for the
strengthening of intelligence in the war against
Boko Haram. The government must also spare
a thought for, and provide succour, for our
vulnerable citizens who have either been
displaced internally, or are now seeking asylum
in nearby countries. This is a responsibility that
we must not shirk or leave to UNHCR and our
neighbouring countries.
[Sources: UNHCR, Daily Sun]
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