Internally Displaced Persons and Socioeconomic Wellbeing in North Central States of Nigeria

Abstract

This study explores the intricate relationship between internally displaced persons and the socioeconomic well-being of people in North Central Nigeria examining the detrimental impacts of these displacements and shedding light on the adverse socio-economic consequences stemming from these displacements was what motivated the researchers to embark on this study. The broad objective was to assess the effect of internal displacement on socioeconomic well-being in North central Nigeria. Its specific objectives were to evaluate the effect of destruction of properties on access to social amenities and to ascertain the effect of violence on access to healthcare services in North central Nigeria. The methodology adopted for the study was survey design on a population of 122,000 internally displaced persons, a sample of 360 was obtained using Bill Gordon sample size determination formula. A structured questionnaire was administered on the sample. The hypotheses were tested using Spearman’s ranked correlation coefficient at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that, destruction of properties significantly affected access to social amenities of internally displaced persons (rho =0.940 sig = 0.01< 0.05) and that violence significantly affected access to healthcare services of internally displaced persons (rho= 0.893 sig = 0.01< 0.05). The study recommended that: Government should implement targeted livelihood support programs tailored to the specific needs of IDPs in North Central Nigeria. These programs could include skills training, vocational education; and there is need to conduct a thorough assessment to determine the specific health needs and challenges faced by internally displaced persons.