ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the challenges facing NGOs activities in Northeast Nigeria, which has been ravaged by Islamic fundamentalist group Boko Haram. While the few literature that have examined NGOs activities in the Boko Haram conflicts differ, much of the focus of the literature have tended to examine the humanitarian activities of international (INGOs) or donor-organized NGOs (DONGOs). Relatively little research has been conducted on the less-resourced smaller NGOs operating in the region particularly as they appear to operate on the classical model of humanitarian aid, which is predicated upon neutrality and impartiality, but which has been blamed for complicity in genocide and other atrocities in a wider context. This study draws from primary source research conducted via semi-structured telephone interviews with actors operating in northeast Nigeria, with the empirical result from the analysis suggesting that while NGOs activities in Nigeria is overall net positive, the smaller less-resourced NGOs classical model of humanitarian aid in the Boko Haram crises have significant potential in prolonging the conflict in Northeast Nigeria.
