By Bridget Tikyaa
There are over half a million registered internally displaced persons in Benue State. Some have lived in camps for years, others are recent victims of the insecurity that has bedevilled the state for decades. It is a crisis born out of a complex mix of several factors – historical, economic, and political – ranging from farmer-herder clashes, armed bandits, politically sponsored crisis, to indigenous militias. In every attack, there are consequences. The most prominent being the complete displacement of residents, forcing them to live as refugees.
It is therefore fantastically refreshing when the Benue State Government announced the scaling up interventions for thousands of displaced families through the SOLID Project, a World Bank supported project.
The assurance came during a breakfast session on Friday, November 21, 2025, attended by Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia and the National Project Coordinator of the World Bank–supported SOLID Project, Hajia Hajara Ahmad, at the Government House, Makurdi. It was a strategic engagement to scale up interventions for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and vulnerable host communities across Benue State.
The breakfast session served as a comprehensive debrief following the World Bank Technical Mission to Benue State. The Technical Mission, which had earlier toured several project locations, assessed ongoing work under the SOLID initiative and identified critical areas requiring accelerated action. The engagement, therefore, offered an opportunity for both parties to harmonize their findings and establish a unified roadmap for enhanced project delivery.
An elated Governor Alia expressed appreciation for the World Bank’s sustained partnership, describing the SOLID Project as a lifeline for thousands of displaced families in Benue. He noted that the project aligns with his administration’s overarching vision of providing durable, sustainable, and community-driven solutions to displacement and poverty.
“The collaboration we have with the World Bank and the SOLID National Coordination Team remains invaluable,” he stated. “Your continued support strengthens our resolve to restore dignity, stability, and economic opportunities for our displaced brothers and sisters who have endured years of hardship.”
The Benue State Bureau for International Cooperation and Development (BICD) has been at the centre of these efforts, providing needed coordination. This highlights how effective institutional synergy is essential for translating donor-supported programmes into real, measurable improvements in the lives of vulnerable populations.
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“Our administration is encouraged by the leadership and capacity the BICD has demonstrated,” the Governor said, adding that “Through strengthened institutions and well-coordinated partnerships, we will ensure this project delivers lasting impact across all targeted communities.”
There were assurances of placing the IDPs at the centre of the interventions, putting their needs first. This much was assured by Hajia Hajara Ahmad, National Project Coordinator of the SOLID Project while providing detailed briefing on the Mission’s observations and outlined recommended next steps to improve efficiency, transparency, and community participation. She not only commended the Benue State Government for its openness to collaboration, but also reaffirmed World Bank’s commitment to supporting the state’s humanitarian and recovery agenda.
Discussions during the meeting focused on scaling up livelihood support for affected families, improving access to essential services, strengthening local governance structures, and ensuring accountability in project implementation. Both sides agreed on renewed timelines, improved monitoring mechanisms, and expanded community engagement strategies.
Government officials who attended the session disclosed that the state will immediately begin implementing the newly agreed action points, noting that timely execution is crucial as many displaced households prepare to return to their communities.
The SOLID Project—Strengthening Opportunities for Livelihoods, Inclusion, and Development—is a World Bank–funded initiative designed to enhance resilience, improve service delivery, and promote sustainable recovery for conflict-affected populations in Nigeria. In Benue, the project targets areas with high concentrations of IDPs and communities that continue to bear the burden of hosting displaced families.
It is a renewed push for accelerated delivery as the project enters a more action-driven phase, with a firm commitment to rebuilding communities, restoring livelihoods, and ensuring long-term stability for families scattered by years of crisis.
This intervention is part of several steps already taken by Governor Alia to to get the internally displaced persons back on their feet and to their ancestral homes.
According to an International Organization for Migration (IOM) report, the population of IDPs has hit over 500,182 in the state. In June 2025, the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA) announced the registration of 18,592 additional IDPs in Gwer West Local Government Area. So far, however, records indicate that over 200,000 IDPs have returned home following initiatives of the state government.
The government had on September 30, 2025, unveiled the Benue State IDPs Policy to address the humanitarian challenges confronting the state’s displaced population. The Policy was developed by Benue State Government in partnership with Save the Children International, building on Governor Alia’s efforts, which include the launch of a programme for the the safe return of the IDPs to their ancestral homes through a three-pronged approach of Return, Integration, and Resettlement plan.
The governor has also been providing land, subsidized inputs, and improved seedlings to IDPs to return to farm, and initiated the formation of 210 Farmers Cooperatives across all camps in the state, which have a total of 4,200 members.
The government is also constructing 3,000 housing units to shelter at least 16,000 IDPs in the state, and completed a Transit Camp in Guma LGA, providing dignified emergency shelter for over 4,000 IDPs.
There were also other interventions, including entrepreneurship programmes for IDPs and refugees, and aiming to create over 50,000 direct jobs and impact more than 80,000 families.
The governor has also initiated peacebuilding and community dialogues to foster peace and land donations from traditional rulers for farming and relocation. All these initiatives are part of the governor’s broader efforts to restore normalcy to conflict-affected areas and improve the living conditions of displaced persons across Benue State.