The United States (U.S.A) and the European Union (EU) have promised to assist Nigeria in combatting its perennial flooding.
The U.S.A. offered to help Borno State flood victims and the EU donated €1,100,000 to assist the nation’s efforts in curtailing the effects of flooding on affected communities.
A statement by the U.S. Embassy in Abuja reads: “In response to the current flooding, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), on behalf of the U.S. government, is providing assistance to the affected victims through UN agencies and our implementing partners.
“Through the World Food Programme (WFP), USAID is providing hot meal rations in four camps hosting internally displaced persons (IDPs) and has reached more than 67,000 individuals in the past few days. The WFP also is providing emergency nutrition assistance to pregnant and lactating women, including children under five years old.
“The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is using an initial $3 million in USAID funding to address flood needs across the country. To further address urgent needs, USAID is supporting the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) in conducting food airlifts to inaccessible areas in Borno and Maiduguri city.
“Other USAID-funded partners, including international and local NGOs, are repurposing existing funds to provide critical assistance to individuals affected by the flooding in Maiduguri and neighboring Jere Local Government Area…”
The EU donation is part of its release of €5.4 million in humanitarian aid to address flooding in Nigeria and five other countries – Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Mali and Burkina Faso – in the Lake Chad and Sahel regions.
The funding is in addition to €232 million already allocated to the countries so far this year.
The €5.4 million is to be shared as follows: Chad €1,000,000; Niger €1,350,000; Nigeria €1,100,000; Mali €1,000,000; Cameroon €650,000 Burkina Faso €300,000.
EU’s Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič said: “Excessive rainfalls have lashed the Sahel and Lake Chad regions with unprecedented impact, displacing millions and causing widespread suffering and damage. We are mobilising all means at our disposal to help the most vulnerable in the flood-stricken countries, so they can receive much needed relief.”
Also, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has constituted a 32-member committee on flood disaster relief distribution for victims of Maiduguri flood.
A statement by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Bukar Tijjani, said the committee is chaired by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Monitoring/Evaluation, Alhaji Baba Gujubawu, while Prof. Ibrahim Umara of the University of Maiduguri (UniMaid) is the Co-Chairman.
Other members include representatives of the North-East Development Commission, the police, EFCC, ICPC, DSS, NSCDC, NEMA, SEMA, religious and traditional rulers as well as relevant MDAs, representatives of UN organisations in Borno State and CSOs.
Also, the Borno State government has confirmed two cases of cholera in one of the IDP camps.
Health Commissioner, Prof. Baba Malum Gana, announced this at kick-off of an oral cholera, measles vaccination and Vitamin A supplementation yesterday in Maiduguri, the state capital.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme was organised by Borno Government in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“With this flooding, we have four suspected cases, which were confirmed on Rapid Diagnosis Test.
“The samples were sent to the National Reference Laboratory, where two cases were confirmed as positive.
“The patients have already been discharged and we have taken measures against cholera from the onset of the flood,” Gana said.
Also, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, yesterday called for collective action to protect the country’s water bodies from pollution and flooding.
Utsev spoke in Abuja during the commemoration of thisn year’s World Rivers Day with the theme: Protect Our Rivers from Pollution.
“Our rivers are lifelines for communities, ecosystems, and economies across Nigeria. It is our collective responsibility to prevent pollution, flooding, and other threats that endanger these vital resources,” he said.
