Nigeria Ingrid Prestetun/NRC Photo

FACT SHEET January 2020

NRC’s operations in

Nigeria Ingrid Prestetun/NRC Photo:

Humanitarian overview NRC’s operation

Nigeria’s north-east region is currently plagued by ma- We help those displaced inside formal and informal jor humanitarian crises. Since 2009, violent attacks on camp settlements, as well as vulnerable host commu- civilians by Boko Haram have left at least two million nities, while assessing who needs our help the most. people displaced. NRC responds to rapid displacements and natural disasters (floods and fires) through the rapid response Many have fled to Borno State’s capital, Maiduguri, or mechanism, by distributing emergency NFIs and food other urban centres in Borno where the government supplies. army provide some security. The influx has led to great pressure on already scarce resources. Out of 13.4 While the Nigerian government has encouraged dis- million people living in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, 7.1 placed people to move back home to their communi- million are in need of assistance, of which 1.6 million ties, our 2017 report, Not Ready to Return, found that are returnees, 1.8 million are IDPs and 800,000 are 86 per cent of displaced people in north-east Nigeria living in inaccessible areas. are afraid to return. We recommend better integration planning and the provision of accurate information for Today, more than a third of the total displaced popula- those who want to relocate or return home. tion are living in highly congested displacement sites, well below international minimum standards. They lack access to basic amenities including proper shelter and latrines. The lack of space also raises serious protec- tion concerns. It leads to rampant fires and increases the spread of water-borne diseases, including cholera. NRC Nigeria Most internally displaced people in the region come Established 2015 from rural areas, where farming is the main source International staff 15 of livelihood. Lack of access to farmland results in National staff 264 (and 108 communal displaced people and host families turning to begging, workers) food rationing, and child labour.

www.nrc.no NRC Nigeria Country office Maiduguri (MMC) Maiduguri Coordinating office Abuja Area Offices: Maiduguri (MMC), Yola (Adamawa State) Areas of operation Maiduguri, Jere, Monguno, Dikwa, Biu, Damasak, Mubi, Gwoza and Pulka

NRC Nigeria Country director: Eric Batonon www.nrc.no/nigeria Email: [email protected] Address: Plot 69, 1st Avenue, Opposite Margaret Ekpo Phone: +234 70 1004 2157 Close, Gwarinpa Phase II, Abuja, FCT, Nigeria

Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA) Education Some rights and services in Nigeria are only available Poverty, illiteracy, lack of access to education, and after producing certain legal identity documents. Cul- youth unemployment indicate the alarming need tural norms mean that women and minority groups are among the young, with over half of children and adoles- most likely to face challenges. Our ICLA teams: cents between 6-15 years old in north-east Nigeria not attending school. Meanwhile, 66 per cent of the overall • collaborate with national and state-level actors to population have never been to school and the Nigerian provide birth certificates and national identifica- government is keen on promoting entrepreneurship tion cards so that displaced people can access and job creation for youth. In line with their agenda, our basic services education team: • provide free legal counsel on housing, land and property rights (HLP rights), and legal documenta- • provides Skills for Work and Life Training for youth, tion which include building agricultural and life skills • strengthen security of tenure for displaced Nige- and improving literacy rians living in urban areas, where unclear rental • promotes entrepreneurship and further education and land property agreements can result in forced • provides education in emergencies activities, in- evictions and multiple displacements cluding school rehabilitation, teacher training, and • assist in collaborative dispute resolution process- provision of teaching and learning materials es to resolve legal disputes • train Nigerian government officials and employees Livelihoods and food security of organisations working on HLP rights An estimated 5.2 million people need food assistance, and most have lost their farms. Communities hosting displaced people also suffer as they share their limited

www.nrc.no resources. Our livelihoods and food security teams: Water, sanitation and hygiene promotion (WASH) Lack of clean drinking water and hygiene has led to the • distribute food baskets and electronic cash trans- prevalence of water-borne disease and other threats to fers for food and household items public health, like cholera. Our teams work inside and • give training sessions on food production for outside camps to: those whose livelihoods have been damaged by violence and displacement • provide safe water and construct water storage • provide cash grants for business opportunities tanks • provide agricultural input to support displaced • construct latrines, hand washing, and bathing facil- families who are growing their own vegetable ities, in coordination with our shelter teams gardens and crops • conduct training sessions, door-to-door cam- paigns, and discussion groups to promote good Shelter and settlements hygiene practices There are 3.5 million people in the north-east region in • distribute hygiene kits need of shelter and NFI support. Shelters constructed • construct and rehabilitate boreholes in camps have been predominantly temporary and are emergency shelters not meant for long-term use. Outside of camps, semi-permanent shelters used by displaced people are dilapidated. Our shelter teams:

• construct and rehabilitate shelters in camps and urban areas • distribute cash e-vouchers to enable people to pur- chase shelter materials from pre-approved shops and pay for repairs to damaged shelters • improve infrastructure, such as drainage • distribute emergency shelter kits which include basic household items like cooking utensils

NRC Nigeria is grateful for the generous support from our donors:

Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Aﬀairs

Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) Equinor Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) Agence Française de Développement (AFD)