Of deferred dreams in Nigeria
By Chike Duru and Doreen Kansiime
While thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) have found refuge at the Malkohi IDP settlement in Yola, in north-east Nigeria’s Adamawa State. Each day is a struggle to survive, yet they still hope for a return to their life in a region now in its fifteenth year of conflict.
Basma’s deferred dream
Basma Mohammed’s world was turned upside down in 2014 when Boko Haram attacked her village in Pulka, Borno State. Basma was just six years old. Her home, school and dream to become a pilot were torn away.
Now 15, Basma lives in the Malkohi IDP settlement. She can barely remember her home, but her ambition remains unchanged.
“I want to be a pilot,” she said with determination. “There are people in emergency situations who need to move to safe places, but they don’t have access. I want to support them.”
Despite her determination, Basma cannot attend school; her parents are too overwhelmed with the daily struggle to meet the family’s basic needs.
“The world should know that the girls in IDP settlements deserve a good life,” she said. “Life is not easy here.”
This reality weighs heavily across the Malkohi settlement, where challenges are immense.
Salamatu’s daily struggle
For Salamatu Suleiman, 50, survival is a daily challenge. After nearly a decade of displacement, she now lives in more permanent housing within the Malkohi settlement.
However, the settlement does not have enough permanent shelters and clean water sources to support the nearly 200 households living there. Many residents also struggle with limited access to healthcare and food and a lack of livelihood opportunities.
To cope with these challenges, Salamatu and other women formed savings groups that provide a sense of community and financial support. The groups enable women to save amounts as low as 200 naira (US$0.13). They share this pooled money to meet each other’s needs.
"Yesterday we shared money and sent someone to the market to buy things for us," Salamatu said.
But these efforts are not enough to help people overcome the poverty and instability that define their lives. "We need sustainable livelihoods. Some of us have skills but we need help to rebuild," Salamatu explained.
Musa’s lost livelihood
Musa Tela has lived in Malkohi for a decade.
Once a thriving farmer and businessman in Dubo Tella, Borno State, Musa had everything he needed to care for his family: a house, farmland, livestock and a business. But when Boko Haram attacked his community, he fled with his family, leaving everything behind.
“I had about 50 bags of beans that I bought for sale. I had a motorcycle, a milling machine, cows, sheep and goats. I had my own house. I lost everything,” Musa recounted.
Two years ago, Musa left the emergency shelter he’d lived in for seven years and moved to Malkohi. He received two small houses for his large family.
“We are grateful for these permanent shelters,” said Musa, who is also Secretary for the settlement’s IDP committee.
The Government and humanitarian organizations provide helpful relief, but it is not enough. People in the settlement still struggle to earn a livelihood to meet their requirements.
Musa and several other displaced men rent small parcels of farmland outside the settlement to grow food. But due to continuous use, the farmland produces low yields. As Musa explained: “even if we leave this place, we shall go elsewhere; there’s no safe place for us back home.” He added that they also need support to start businesses.
A call to action
Basma’s deferred dream, Salamatu’s daily struggles and Musa’s lost livelihood represent just some of the challenges of displaced people across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States in north-east Nigeria.
With support from Federal and State Government, humanitarian organizations and the international community, their futures can be rebuilt.
In 2024, the OCHA-managed Nigeria Humanitarian Fund supported local non-governmental organization Grassroot Life Saving Outreach to provide essential health services, including disease prevention, sexual and reproductive healthcare, and water, sanitation and hygiene programmes. One key recipient was the Malkohi Primary Health Centre, which helps displaced families and host communities.
The International Organization for Migration received $750,000 from the OCHA-managed Central Emergency Response Fund to provide permanent shelters and essential items to more than 1,200 internally displaced people between September 2021 and December 2022.
This year, the humanitarian community in north-east Nigeria is appealing for $910.2 million to provide urgent food, shelter, healthcare and livelihood support. This funding is vital to help displaced communities recover and rebuild their lives.
Join us in helping the people of north-east Nigeria.