THE United Nation’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) says it has released US$5 million to scale up the flood response and address critical needs in three of the most flood affected states in Nigeria – Borno and Bauchi in the North-East, and Sokoto in the North-West.
CERF made the announcement in a statement it released on Wednesday and made available to the media.
It said the announcement follows the increasing impact of floods on people’s lives, livelihoods, and food security across Nigeria at the peak of the rainy season.
More than 300 people have lost their lives and least 1.2 million people are affected in 31 states, according to Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA).
Thousands of hectares of cropland have also been damaged ahead of harvests.
“Floods across Nigeria have created a crisis within a crisis,” United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, said.
“Millions of people were already facing critical levels of food insecurity before the floods because of economic hardships that have made it exceedingly difficult for the most vulnerable to feed themselves and their families. The floods have compounded people’s suffering.”
CERF said its funds will help humanitarian partners reach 280,000 people in Borno, Bauchi and Sokoto states with food, clean water, sanitation, and shelter support.
The funds will also help to rapidly mobilise resources to bolster access to healthcare, including efforts to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera.
The response will include the use of multipurpose cash assistance (MPCA) and cash for work programmes to help affected people earn an income.
The funding will also enhance protection services, including support to women and girls and services for gender-based violence (GBV), as well as support to people living with disabilities.
“This CERF allocation is a much-needed boost to the joint efforts of humanitarian partners in Nigeria in support of the Government-led response.
However, the CERF funds and the previous allocation from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund (NHF) are insufficient to meet the scale of needs.
What is required right now is the immediate mobilisation of additional resources by donors, development partners and the private sector as the emergency response transitions to the recovery phase in some affected areas.”