Nigeria — Stability Index Report (September 2019)

A report by IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) identified 4.2 million displaced individuals in Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon in 2019. However, as the protracted conflict begins to subside in some regions, there are a growing number of displaced persons returning to their towns and villages of origin. The DTM noted a 77 per cent increase (800,000 individuals) in the number of returnees in 2019 compare those reported in 2016. The total population of returnees represents 41 per cent of the total population affected by displacements in the Lake Chad Basin. This growing trend towards return movements calls for a more thorough investigation to better understand the returnee populations in the regions and communities of origin. It is also highlighting the importance of assessing the return intentions of individuals who are still displaced in order to provide the necessary assistance for the reintegration of those who have already returned to their area of origin, as well as to those who intend to return in the near future.  

The stability index identifies ‘pockets of stability’ to target the needs of the large proportion of returnee populations and analyzes which factors are relatively more impactful on the decisions of returnees to remain in place or to move. Furthermore, it is an essential tool in designing assistance for durable solutions as well as a new instrument to inform transition and recovery with appropriate programming priorities.