Humanitarian assistance to gulp $1.1 billion in Northeast-UN
Tada JUTHA, Maiduguri
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Matthias Schmale; has said that $1.1 billion (N506 billion) would be required for humanitarian assistance in the Northeast.
The 12-year Boko Haram insurgency has also killed 40,000 people with destroyed property worth S9.1 billion (N3.42 trillion) in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
According to him, about 8.4 million people will require humanitarian assistance in the Northeast in 2022.
He lamented that over 2.2 million were displaced during the over a decade insurgency in the region.
Speaking at the launch of the Nigeria Humanitarian Response Plan (NHRP), yesterday (Thursday) in Abuja, he disclosed that the conflict has evolved into an alarming humanitarian and protection crisis.
“The crisis has disproportionately affected most women and girls,” he said.
Besides, he added that the vulnerable victims are, however; facing daily threats to their health, food security and safety.
He said the N506 billion is needed to provide critical aid and services to 5.5 million people who were affected by the lingering conflict.
At the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan for north-east Nigeria which was launched on Thursday were speeches read by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, the governors of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States, United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, and other prominent stakeholders.
“For many affected victims, the profound impact of conflict in the Northeast continues to be felt painfully,” he lamented, despite the visible hopeful developments in 2021 including the survival mode of 2022.
He noted that despite insecurity persistence in many areas, there are some locations of relative peace and stability in the region.
“We must look for long-term solutions,” he declared, stating that $700 (N322 billion) were realized from the targeted $1 billion.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Farouq said that as millions of people struggle to have their basic needs, prices of food continue to rise.
“It has destabilized the already alarming food security situation, particularly during the lean season with detrimental effects on people’s lives,” she said.
She said the humanitarian community will prioritize lifesaving needs in the 2022-2023 strategy to reduce vulnerabilities and build resilience for self-reliance.
