Matthias Schmale, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, has announced that additional funding of $10.5 million will be made available to assist with flood relief efforts in Nigeria. At a press conference held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Farhan Haq, who serves as Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, revealed this information. According to Mr. Haq, Mr. Schmale made the announcement of the funding in a statement to support Nigeria as the country dealt with unprecedented flooding, which resulted in more than 4.4 million people being affected across the country and 2.4 million being displaced.
People living in the states that have been most affected will benefit from this new funding coming from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund. These funds will be used to provide clean water, sanitation, medical care, shelter, and non-food items. He added that this would include those affected in the northeastern part of the country, which is reeling from the combined effects of floods, prolonged conflict, rising hunger, and an outbreak of cholera.
Schmale shows his concern for the attacked humanitarian members.
Furthermore, the deputy spokesperson stated that Mr. Schmale had spoken out against the killing of a member of Médecins du Monde, a humanitarian organization based in Damboa, Borno State. Mr. Schmale also extended his deepest condolences to the deceased aid worker’s family and coworkers on behalf of the United Nations, as he had done personally. He also expressed his hopes that the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) pilot who was hurt in the attack by the rogue soldier would recover quickly.
Mr. Schmale emphasized that all humanitarian workers in north-east Nigeria deserve their deepest gratitude for their bravery and commitment to staying and providing life-saving assistance to those in need in often perilous and threatening situations. Humanitarian workers must be safeguarded, he added. Mr. Haq noted that Mr. Schmale praised the efforts of the government and the military to investigate the incident that took place recently and urged them to foster remedial measures in order to prevent incidents like this one from occurring in the future.
USAID also provides support for those impacted by floods in Nigeria.
In October, Emergency humanitarian aid in the amount of $1 million was also provided by the United States through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to help those in Nigeria who have been impacted by the unprecedented flooding. Almost 2.8 million people across the country have been impacted by the unusually heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding. Not only have tens of thousands of homes been damaged or destroyed, but two million people have been displaced as a result. Over 600 lives have been lost.
Since November is expected to be a humid month, according to USAID disaster experts, therefore they affirmed that they would keep an eye on the situation, working closely with humanitarian partners, the Nigerian government, and the U.S. Embassy in Abuja to evaluate the situation and provide whatever aid is necessary. The United States will always be there for the people of Nigeria, and they have a long history of providing humanitarian aid all over the country, including during this time of crisis. More than $356 million in multi-sector assistance, much of its lifesaving, was provided by USAID in the year 2022 alone, primarily to people in areas plagued by conflict and food shortages.
Many homes and farmlands have been destroyed as a result of the flood.
Moreover, according to the report gathered thus far, more than 300,000 homes have been either destroyed or damaged. In addition to losing their homes, hundreds of thousands of people have also seen their means of subsistence and their access to food become compromised. It is estimated that 569,251 hectares of farmland have been damaged, rendering households unable to harvest their crops and resulting in a loss of both food source and income source.
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