It looks at life before, during, and after the migration to the current area, as well as the realities of modern life. This provides it with a broad viewpoint. There are similarities and differences in each of the four cities. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) find it more difficult to settle and integrate into society in Lagos and Port Harcourt, although it seems to be less difficult in Onitsha and Ibadan. There is widespread resistance to moveable IDP camps around the cities, citing a variety of risks, including ethnic, religious, territorial, and security concerns. As a direct consequence of these policies, IDPs face oppression and marginalisation, which might manifest as restricted access to the city, a settlement plan that encourages segregation, and other forms of discrimination. This study accentuates the need of understanding the processes and patterns of unassisted settlement for mobile IDPs in urban settings, particularly in cities across the Global South, with Nigeria having the most severe data gap. It emphasises the need of gaining a better understanding of IDPs as a critical component of long-term solutions for humanitarian response and sustainable urbanisation.
KEYWORDS: Internally displaced persons; IDPs; Nigeria; cities; urban
Rebecca Enobong Roberts is a PhD candidate at the Habitat Unit, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. This project is co-supervised by the Urban Planning Department at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Her PhD explores the intersectionality between internal displacement, the forced migration in the broader context of sustainable and inclusive urbanisation. She has 11 years of experience in implementing and managing development projects across 23 states and multiple cities in Nigeria, Dakar, Senegal, Pretoria and Johannesburg, South Africa, Accra, and Kumasi, Ghana.
Professor Taibat Lawanson is an urban planner and Professor of Urban Management and Governance at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, where she leads the Pro-Poor Development Research Cluster and serves as Co-Director at the Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development. Her research focuses on the interface of social complexities, urban realities and the pursuit of spatial justice in Africa. She currently serves on the international advisory committee of UN-HABITAT flagship ‘State of the World’s Cities’.
