ETHNO-RELIGIOUS CONFLICTS AND THE CHANGING NATURE OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS IN THE JOS TOWN, PLATEAU STATE, 2000 – 2010.

Emmanuel Sambo Kudu

ABSTRACT

The Jos Plateau entered the 21^st century with the rather unfortunate shift from the “Home of Peace and Tourism” to the theatre of multi-dimensional (political, ethnic and religious) conflicts. These were characterized by large scale destruction of lives and property. Consequently, population responses to insecurity have ranged from relocation outside the boundaries of Plateau State to internal shifting from the zone of insecurity to the relatively safer locations, individually or collectively organized either by government or concerned agencies. This paper examines the phenomenon of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on the Jos Plateau, with focus on the Jos Town between 2000 and 2010. In this direction, attention is directed to the socio-economic conditions which confront the IDPs, with particular reference to problem of adjustment to the rather unfamiliar environment, feeding, accommodation, productive engagement, children’s education, cohesiveness or otherwise of families and gender relations. The method adopted in this research involved the use of carefully prepared questionnaire, administered in the field. In this direction, questions were directed to selected individual IDP’s on the basis of age, status, gender and profession. Responses from these categories of informants were matched with the few existing written sources for corroboration. The findings showed that the IDP’s were exposed to rather strange environments which offered serious socio-economic challenges, reducing the statuses of bread-winners to bread-beggars.

Keywords: Ethno-Religious, Conflicts, Socio-Economic Status, Internally Displaced Persons