The United Nations distributed $10 million yesterday from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund (NHF) and the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to assist flood victims around the country.
Over 264,000 individuals in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states hit by flooding, violence, increased hunger, and cholera outbreaks would get water, sanitation, healthcare, shelter, and non-food goods from the fund.
According to a statement made available to journalists yesterday, the NHF funds would supplement the $5.5 million CERF rapid response allocation for Nigeria’s flood-affected states, which would help provide clean water, sanitation, hygiene, emergency shelter, and health care assistance to 495,000 people in Anambra, Bayelsa, Kogi, and Niger states.
According to the statement, flooding has harmed over 4.4 million people in Nigeria since July this year, displacing over 2.4 million people, with about half of them in Bayelsa; killing over 660 people, and damaging over 650,000 hectares of crops across the country.
Matthias Schmale, the Resident, and Humanitarian Coordinator noted that during his visits to Anambra, Adamawa, and Bayelsa states, he met and spoke with people who were struggling to put food on the table and acquire clean water to drink due to the loss of all their goods and livelihoods.
The resident coordinator expressed concern that the massive destruction of food crops would have an immediate impact on food security, emphasizing that as flood waters receded, the most pressing priority was to assist affected people in returning to what was left of their homes and regaining lost assets and livelihoods.
The CERF quick response allocation for flood response outside of the BAY states is the second of the year. CERF released $10 million and $15 million in May and September, respectively, to support the food insecurity and nutrition response in North-east Nigeria.
In addition, the NHF granted two allocations of $2.5 million and $1 million in September to enable humanitarian partners to offer immediate nutrition support in the North-east, in accordance with the interagency $351 million multi-sector strategy to address the dire food and nutrition situation.
