Coping with the pandemic in IDP camps

2022

Coping with the pandemic in IDP camps

Country/area: Nigeria

Organisation: The Nation Newspaper

Organisation size: Small

Publication date: 21/1/2021

Credit: Justina Asishana, Ezra Barsil

Biography: Justina Asishana is an award-winning Data and Investigative Journalist who is passionate about data, human interest issues, transparency, and governance.

She is currently the Niger state correspondent for The Nation Newspaper. Justina has done a lot of investigative reporting for her media organization, The Nation Newspaper and other media organizations.

Justina was the 2021 Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF) Journalist of the Year, the IJNET Journalist of the Month in May 2021, she was the runner up of the Feature Writer of the Year and Business Journalist of the Year in the 2021 Nigeria Media Merit Awards (NMMA).

Project description:

The report seeks to analyse how the people who were displaced by insecurity in Niger state and are living in Internally Displaced persons camps are coping in the face of the pandemic. The report analysed the various safety measures taken in these camps and if they are being adhered to by the people living in the camps.

Using data from a security tracker, the report analysed the deaths caused by violence in Niger state and Nigeria. Speaking to the people on the ground, the Reporter got information on how the water, sanitary and health status in the camps.

Impact reached:

The report was used as a reference point at the Niger state House of Assembly when the legislators wanted to make some points on the impact of insecurity on the people in the state. The report was part of what was used by the state government to advocate and appeal to individuals and organizations for assistance for the displaced persons as the government stated that they do not have adequate resources to take care of the IDPs. Help came for the IDPs and health workers were deployed to ensure that the hygienic sanitary conditions are kept in the camps.

Techniques/technologies used:

Field research was carried out as the Reporter visited the IDP camps.
Google search was used to source data on the displacement of people in Nigeria and the number of IDPs in the country.
Flourish was used for the data visualization

What was the hardest part of this project?

The hardest part of the story was the field research. This is because the terrain is a difficult one as the Shiroro local government area of Niger state is currently faced with insecurity and before going on the fieldwork, there was a need for critical analysis of the security situation and how best to visit the displaced persons.

What can others learn from this project?

Journalists can learn about the effect of clashes on the people and know that in-depth stories of the IDPs need to be told after the usual stories have been written