CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The first duty of a government to its citizens is security; security of lives and property. But in the event of war and dire civil unrest as in the case of insurgency, government is often not able to assure the safety of its people and the safety of their properties. However what can be done, during or after such incidents, is the attempt to mitigate the loss and get back to the path of nation building as fast and as adequately as possible. This is as every part of a nation is important in this never ending process of nation building. After the world wars, especially at the end of the second world war, nations attempted to rebuild and most did. At least at the level of infrastructure because the psychological impact of the wars still shapes the world up to the point of creativity: technology and the arts. For the Guardian:
At the end of the first world war it had been possible to contemplate going back to business as usual. However, 1945 was different, so different that it has been called Year Zero. The capacity for destruction had been so much greater than in the earlier war that much of Europe and Asia lay in ruins. And this time civilians had been the target as much as the military (Margaret MacMillan).
Like The Guardian has submitted, it is often more difficult when civilians are involved. The impact is felt all the most on the country in this case always resulting in displacement since not only lives are lost, but that of property during wars and insurgency attacks as is the case in Nigeria.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Studying the cases of insurgency in Nigeria, it might appear that the strings of incidents cannot not have been avoided and arguably so. So that what government can do while combating insurgency is to try to alleviate the hardships of those affect at least those affected directly. The Nigerian government has established settlements for those displaced by the insurgency which is known as the IDP's – Internally Displaced People. However, no study has gone into the impacts of these displacement on those directly affected, the rest of the people and government in general. And this should possibly help in showing other better option than the one government is presently proffering. This is the task that the present research has set before itself and that is to study the impacts of displacement to those displaced due to insurgency using especially women and children using Malkoih camp in Yola south of Adamawa state as a case study.
1.3 Research Questions
1.3.1 what are the impacts of displacement on the women and children in the camp.
1.3.2 In what ways has these incidents shaped the lives and minds of the average Nigerian.
1.3.3 What measures can be put in place to ameliorate the situation.
1.4 Objectives of the Study
The present research work hopes to establish the current situation in the Malkoih camp in Yola south of Adamawa. The study aims at enumerating the various impacts of displacement on women and children and how their situation is peculiar with the aim of discovering the specific factors that inform the way they are affected by the insurgency.
The study describes the processes or phases undergone by those displaced and what government is doing to cater to their remote needs apart from the basic human needs which are obvious.
1.5 Significance of the Study
The study will help clarify government on the remote impacts of displacement on women and children especially the psychological impacts so that measures would be put in place to alleviate or at least ameliorate the future consequences of it. One is that the level of insecurity in the face of a seemingly lax attitude from government has put an almost anarchist mindset on those displaced and everyone around so that the economic impact will be felt in years to come. The educational impacts on the children is almost close to impossible to close up on but the study sheds light on the possible ways of checking the educational implications of the displacement.
1.6 Research Hypothesis
He assumption guiding this research work is that the impacts of displacement is felt much more by women and children and that the list of ways they are impacted upon is almost endless.
1.7 Scope of the Study
The study focuses on women and children displaced to the Malkoih Camp of Yola south of Adamawa state. The impacts to be studied include both the immediate and remote impacts felt with emphasis on the immediate ones. References can be made here and there on the general impacts within and outside the camps and media’s delivery of these impacts.
1.8 Limitations of the Study
The major limiting factor of this research work is the time factor which hasn’t fully allowed the researcher the leave to fully engage the research problem as would have been desirable.
1.9 Definition of Terms
Displacement
This refers to the relocation of persons from their domiciled homes due to insecurity or war.
Insurgency
According to Wikipedia, insurgency is “ a rebellion against authority when those taking part in the rebellion are not recognized as belligerents”
