The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has earmarked $9 million in humanitarian assistance to bolster disaster response efforts in Northeast Nigeria.
According to the statement released on their website, the funds would provide critical life-saving assistance to populations affected by other natural disasters such as fire or climate-related shocks.
According to the statement, “As the United States Mission to Nigeria announced in October and December 2022, the U.S. Government provided $6 million in life-saving aid to support the people affected by last year’s devastating floods.
“This included $1.75 million to the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies in partnership with the Nigerian Red Cross Society; $2.5 million to the International Organization for Migration; and $1.75 million divided among Save the Children, FHI360, and Interco’s.
“These agencies used the funds to reach more than 225,000 people in seven highly affected states with critical aid. The assistance included emergency shelter repair kits, water and sanitation purification tablets to protect against waterborne diseases, hygiene kits to promote safe and healthy practices, and multipurpose cash for families to purchase what they need to recover.”
The statement further explained that as a result of worsening climate change, in 2022 Nigeria witnessed the worst flooding in more than a decade, which affected 4.4 million people, displaced over 2.4 million people, and killed over 600 people.
It remarked that in its 2023 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction, the Nigeria Meteorological Agency indicated that earlier than the normal onset of rainfall this year could put 4.2 million people at risk of flood-related impacts.
The statement averred that the new $ 9 million U.S. Government assistance would bolster community preparedness and strengthen vulnerable people’s ability to cope with the impact of natural disasters.
The USAID Mission Director Dr. Anne Patterson said: “The United States will continue to stand with the people of Nigeria to mitigate the effects of climate change and address the impacts of more frequent natural disasters. We have a long history of providing humanitarian assistance across the country.
By Dare Akogun
