IMPACTS OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (IDPS) ON THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES OF JOS TOWN, PLATEAU STATE.

Abstract

Conflict has become a natural tendency that has been identified as man’s default configuration. Man has the tendency to exhibit unusual behaviour when conditions seem unfavourable to him. Over the years, Nigeria has had its share of the consequences brought about by several grades of conflicts, resulting in the ever-increasing population of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The aftermath of every conflict leaves behind victims of such events who for the sake of their lives flee to neighbouring settlements in an attempt to find refuge. The receiving/host communities on the other hand are faced with the challenge of caring for these refugees, and due to these unforeseen circumstances, change (both positive and negative) will therefore be inevitable in the social and economic life of these communities. This paper seeks to analyze the impacts of IDPs on the socio-economic life of residents in the Jos Town of Plateau State, following the rather unfortunate actions of the “Boko Haram” sect in Adamawa State. The method adopted for this research involved visiting the IDP camps and interviewing them. With close reference to the subject-matter. Responses were collected and matched alongside a few existing written works for corroboration. The findings show that although the presence of IDPs in the Jos Town has caused some socio-economic stresses, certain obvious benefits have been recorded. The paper further suggests measures that could be taken by all social and security agencies concerned for easing the pressure exerted by this phenomenon on the host communities on one hand and the struggle to adapt to new environments by the Internally Displaced Persons on the other hand.