The Role of Language in Psychosocial Support for IDPS in Northeast Nigeria

Abstract

Forced migration and internal displacement in and into Nigeria in the last 50 years of independence has been triggered by violent conflict. Other causes of displacement include natural disasters and environmental degradation, inter-communal/inter-ethnic clashes, disputes over land, boundary conflicts between indigenous people and settlers, communal and ethno-religious clashes, as well as electoral violence (Mohammed, 2017). The highest recorded number in the last decade, however, was due to the insurgency in the northeast part of the country, where a spate of violent attacks since 2009 has left well over two million3 people displaced within and across the borders to neighbouring countries, especially over the past three years. Thus, internal displacement in Nigeria is not a new phenomenon. This research proposes that the protracted displacement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) poses a significant risk to human development. One of the effects of this protracted displacement on capability (as an indicator of human development) was examined amongst the internally displaced in North-Eastern Nigeria vis-í -vis the psychosocial programmes designed to restore them to normalcy. Instead of focusing exclusively on the physical or psychological aspects of health and well-being, the paper emphasizes the Psychosocial support encompasses the totality of people's experience. This therefore, underlines the need to investigate the role of language as a means of communication and an important aspect in psychosocial support. This paper investigates the role of language in Psychosocial Support in Northeast Nigeria. The result shows that language has some psychosocial functions through which support and care givers deliver professional and non-specialized support.