NEMA’S IDPs figure misleading – group

A Non Governmental Organization (NGO), Social Action has disagreed with the recent statistics released by National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North East.

In a statement signed by Vivian Ebilonwu, Head Social Action on Tuesday in Abuja said the recent figure released by Agency indicating that there are 1.9 million internally displaced Persons in North-East Nigeria is wrong and misleading.

The statement reads: “The 1.9 million IDP figure as announced by NEMA is a gross mis-calculation of the number of persons who have been variously displaced largely by man made as well as natural causes. Terror campaign, communal/tribal conflicts, climate change as well as herdsmen/farmers clashes have massively displaced persons in these areas including women and children.

“The figure strongly puts to question NEMA’s parameters for arriving at such number. It is on record that many IDPs are not resident in the NEMA designated so-called official camps as they rather took up residence with relatives in safer parts of the country; many more stay in camps NEMA chose to tag as ‘unofficial’ and thus conveniently ignores their existence. Many bodies including international organizations have estimated the numbers of displaced persons in North-East Nigeria at well over 3 million”, the group said.

According to the statement: “One of the banes of the country has been poor record-keeping and this has impeded proper planning for effective human and capital development. NEMA should therefore take steps to carry out proper and systematic audit of IDPs in the country particularly in the terror ravaged North Eastern part to pave way for proper planning processes as well as their management, rehabilitation and eventual re-settlement”, it added.