Since many humanitarian organisations have stopped providing aid to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri, they have had to find ways to make money to survive – but sometimes the work is hard and dangerous and can even cause health problems.

RNI reporter Zainab Alhaji Ali spoke to some IDPs who told her that hard work sometimes took its toll on one’s health.

Falmata Ali, an IDP originally from the Bama Local Government Area, said she and her children had fled their ancestral village after it was attacked by the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS), better known as Boko Haram.

“Boko Haram took my husband. I do not know where he is and I have not heard from him. I don’t even know if he is still alive. My eight children and I fled to Maiduguri. It was very hard because suddenly I became the sole breadwinner and I had to find a way to put food on the table.

“I started my business by taking out a loan for five bowls of raw peanuts. I fry the peanuts and sell them at the market. After I started selling the peanuts, I was able to pay back the loan. With the profit I made, I was able to buy groceries. This is how I am making a living and feeding all my children.”

Ali said life was hard and she had to face many challenges. “Frying peanuts is not easy, especially in the rainy season because the firewood is not good. It is very smokey and has a pungent smell. I don’t think it is good for our health. As we speak, I am not feeling well. I have a headache, fever and body pain. Every day I have to take medicine.

“Since I started this business, I have been very sick two or three times. One time I was sick for two whole months and I had to get an injection before I got better. Now I take the medication every day.”

Abubakar Muhammed said he was originally from the Mafa Local Government Area. When he and his family fled their home, they relied almost entirely on humanitarian aid. But when it stopped, he had to find work – and find it quickly.

“I had to find work because if I didn’t get any money we would have to stay hungry and I could not do that to my family. We would not have survived if I did not have a job. I started delivering boxes and other items from one side of town to the other. Some of them I carried on my head. But, then, luckily, I got a job as a bricklayer.”

Muhammed said that in their ancestral village he was a successful farmer until the frequent and deadly attacks by insurgents forced them to flee.

“Being a bricklayer is hard work and it makes you very tired. Sometimes you’re too tired even to get up when it’s time for prayer. A while ago, I think the tiredness got to me and while I was working on the top of a roof I slipped, lost my footing and balance, and fell off the roof. One of my legs was badly broken. It was excruciating. I ended up having to spend five months at home recovering. That time was very hard for me and my family. We had to scrounge around to get food and other necessities. But I am back at work now.”

Bintu Abba, originally from the Konduga Local Government Area, said: “I have seven children. My husband was an Islamic scholar in our village. But when Boko Haram attacked us, we had to flee. It was fine at first because we got frequent humanitarian aid. But when that stopped, my husband had to find a job. At first he started going from house to house selling water. The work was good but the water was heavy and eventually he had to stop that work. His back was not strong enough.

“Now he is working as a labourer on a farm. He gets ₦1,000 a day but the transport to and from the farm costs ₦800. I have started making hats. So, with what he is able to bring home – and with the little money I receive – we are able to buy food. It’s not easy though. Working on the farm is hard and my husband is still not completely healthy.”

Zainab Alhadj Ali