Abstract
This study explores the impact of Boko Haram’s violence on northern Nigeria, particularly focusing on the willingness of conflict-induced internally displaced persons (CIIDPs) to return home and the role of restoring social infrastructure in this process. We employed a mixed-methods approach, collecting data from 866 randomly selected internally displaced persons (IDPs) across eight camps in North-East Nigeria and conducting focus group discussions in two of these camps. Our findings, as revealed by correlation analysis, suggest a positive albeit weak link between the restoration of social infrastructure and the willingness of IDPs to return to their homes. Specifically, the selected social infrastructure improvements accounted for a modest 3% change in the willingness to accept a voluntary return. This implies that while restoring social infrastructure plays a role, it alone is insufficient to significantly boost the willingness of IDPs in North-East Nigeria to return voluntarily. However, our regression analysis offers more nuanced insights. It indicates that restoring access to water and rebuilding access roads in affected communities can have a substantial impact on motivating CIIDPs to return home. Therefore, we conclude that while restoring social infrastructure is a factor, it should not be viewed as the sole solution for promoting willingness to return in a post-conflict context. To address the broader issue, we recommend that governments and policymakers in conflict-affected communities prioritize the restoration of water sources and access roads, as these appear to be critical factors in encouraging the return of IDPs. Additionally, further research is necessary to identify other essential needs and interventions to facilitate the return of CIIDPs to their home communities.
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Data Availability
The datasets generated and analyzed during the study are available from the online repository Figshare, titled “Adekola_PhD Dataset Raw Data.sav” at https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.12044349.v1.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the field assistants who helped conduct the research in North-East, Nigeria as well as the Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health, School of Public Health, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo City, Nigeria.
Funding
The fieldwork was partially funded by the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo City, Nigeria. This research project was partially funded by the Polo Center of Sustainability as part of the EMS-Nigeria-101-2023A project.
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Conceptualization, writing of the original draft preparation, and funding acquisition: A.P.O.; formal analysis and investigation: A.P.O. and G.T.C.; methodology, writing—review and editing of the final draft: A.P.O., G.T.C., and G.B.
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Adekola, P.O., Cirella, G.T. & Brownell, G. Reintegration Programs and the Willingness of Displaced Persons to Return Home: Analyzing the Role of Social Infrastructure in North-East Nigeria. Int. Migration & Integration (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-024-01128-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-024-01128-x