The Grassroots Mobilisers for Better Nigeria Initiative has urged government and other stakeholders to sustain humanitarian interventions for displaced and vulnerable Nigerians across Borno, Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and other affected states.
Amb. Fatima Mohammed Goni
Chairperson, GMBNI,in an attestation titled “Leaving No One Behind: When Humanitarian Intervention Becomes a National Duty,” said sustained support through food, education, healthcare, shelter, livelihoods and skills development was necessary to move displaced families from relief to recovery and self-reliance.
GMBNI said humanitarian intervention should not end when public attention shifts from a crisis.
It stressed that many displaced families continued to face hardship long after media coverage and emergency interventions had reduced.
“The cameras leave. The headlines change. The emergency becomes yesterday’s news. But the displaced family remains,” the group stated.
It said emergency relief was important but should serve as the beginning of a longer process involving recovery, resilience and opportunity.
According to GMBNI, food assistance could prevent hunger in the short term, while livelihood support could help families become self-reliant.
It also stressed the importance of education for children affected by displacement.
The group said providing books, learning materials and school uniforms to displaced children could help restore normality and protect their future.
GMBNI said its grassroots interventions in Borno, Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto had reinforced the need for sustained humanitarian engagement.
The initiative said its work had included support for vulnerable communities and children in Borno, including educational and basic welfare support to Tsangaya and learning centres.
It said similar engagements had taken place in communities experiencing hardship in Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto.
The group also commended the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Hon. Tijjani Aliyu Ahmed, for what it described as sustained attention to the protection, welfare and recovery of displaced and vulnerable Nigerians.
GMBNI said Ahmed’s approach increasingly focused on helping displaced persons regain agency, livelihoods and dignity rather than remaining dependent on relief.
The group referenced his message at the 2026 World Refugee Day observance, where he called for a shift from “aid” to “agency” and from “camps to communities”.
GMBNI said the approach was important because vulnerability was not limited to people living in formal camps.
It noted that some displaced families lived within host communities, while others had returned home but remained economically vulnerable.
The group therefore called for a broader approach to identifying vulnerable Nigerians.
“The humanitarian question, therefore, should not simply be: Where is the camp?
“It should be: Where is the vulnerable Nigerian?” it stated.
GMBNI said government institutions, grassroots organisations, traditional structures, development partners and community leaders must work together to address humanitarian challenges.
It identified food assistance, education, healthcare, water and sanitation, shelter, livelihoods, skills, women and youth empowerment, agricultural recovery and protection as key areas requiring sustained intervention.
The group particularly highlighted the needs of women and children affected by displacement.
It said displaced women often carried the responsibility of keeping households together, while children faced the risk of losing years of education.
GMBNI urged stakeholders to measure humanitarian interventions not only by the number of people reached but also by outcomes such as children returning to school, women regaining economic capacity and families moving towards self-reliance.
The initiative said consistency was critical to building trust among affected communities.
“A single intervention can provide relief. Consistency builds trust,” it stated.
GMBNI said government remained central to creating systems capable of turning humanitarian interventions into sustainable national policies.
It also called for greater involvement of the private sector, foundations, development partners, international organisations, traditional institutions, community leaders and volunteers.
The group reaffirmed its support for efforts to link humanitarian assistance with livelihoods, social protection, peace-building and durable solutions.
It said the task remained enormous but insisted that vulnerable Nigerians must not be abandoned because they had lost their homes or livelihoods.
“Displacement must not become abandonment.
“Vulnerability must not become invisibility.
“Relief must lead to recovery. Recovery must lead to resilience. And resilience must lead to opportunity,” GMBNI stated.
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