United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Management of Refugee Crisis in the Nigerian Section of Lake Chad Basin (2011-2023)

Abstract

Africa and the Nigerian state have received a fair dose of the refugee crisis. For Nigeria, Borno, Adama and Yobe, the (BAY) states are home to over 1.9 million Internally Displaced Persons, a figure regarded as the seventh largest Internally Displaced population in the world. The study examined efforts of the UNHCR in the management of the refugee crisis in the Nigerian section of the Lake Chad Basin (2011-2023). The study adopted Michael Barnett’s Humanitarian Governance Model as a theoretical base. Methodologically, it adopted the ex post facto research design and collected data through documentary sources and Key Informant Interviews. Content analysis was adopted as preferred tool for data analysis.  The findings indicate the fact that although the UNHCR has rendered numerous humanitarian assistance and services in the region, these efforts have been eclipsed by the growing number of IDP’s, refugees, refugee returnees, internal security threats and social discontents in the region understudied. The study therefore recommends the need for government and all relevant stakeholders to assist in the fight against insurgency in the region; more humanitarian services in the area to complement the ongoing work by the UNHCR and proper funding and security of UNHCR staff and other humanitarian workers in the region.