POLICY PAPER 2025

Rebecca Enobong Roberts (lead author), Taibat Lawanson, Philipp Misselwitz

Cities in Transition - Displacement Urbanisation and the Urgency of Inclusive Policy Reform in Nigeria 
A Multi-City Analysis of Protracted Displacement Urbanisation, Settlement Practices and Governance Gaps

Nigeria is home to approx. 4.5 m internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 7.9 m people in need of humanitarian assistance (OCHA, 2024). The majority, nearly 60%, have migrated to cities across Nigeria, where they remain invisible, unrecognised and excluded from formal systems of protection. 

 
This report addresses critical knowledge gaps marked by insufficient data, the absence of clear definitions for urban IDPs, and limited understanding of their distinct needs for services and protection compared to non-displaced urban populations. The report also provides recommendations to design more effective and inclusive policy and humanitarian responses, to help national government and its aid partners to fully embrace the realities of the mass migration of IDPs into cities.

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