• As UNICEF Says Over 1.5 million Nigerian children at risk of health, education crisis
The United Nations (UN) has raised concern over the flooding in Nigeria this year.
At a news conference at UN headquarters in New York, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the world body was following events.
“We are gravely concerned that the flooding will worsen the already alarming food insecurity and malnutrition situation in Nigeria.”
Dujarric noted that at least 440,000 hectares of farmland have been partially or totally damaged.
The UN added that “more than 19 million people across Nigeria are facing severe food insecurity.’’
The spokesperson said since July, the Nigeria government have provided food, non-food items and clean drinking water to thousands of families.
The UN said it was aiding the government with assessments and response in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe and other states, along with humanitarian partners.
The support include emergency shelter kits, local water drains, sandbags, and walling around shelters to mitigate the impacts of the flooding.
The Nigerian government had announced that over 600 people have died, and 1.3 million people displaced.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) hinted that cereal production would likely decline by 3.4 per cent due to flooding, high agriculture production costs, and insecurity.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has expressed fears of over 1.5 million children’s education and health being jeopardized over recent barrage of floods in the country.
The UN intervention agency, UNICEF, also claims children and adults are mostly at risk of illnesses through waterborne diseases, drowning and malnutrition due to the most severe flooding in one decade.
It has earlier warned of dire consequences that may arise from cases of diarrhoea and water-borne diseases, respiratory infection, and skin diseases.
In the north-eastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe alone, a total of 7,485 cases of cholera and 319 associated deaths have been reported as of 12 October, 2022.
This comes, even as rains are expected to continue for several weeks, humanitarian needs are also expected to rise beyond the current situation.
“Children and adolescents in flood-affected areas are in an extremely vulnerable situation,” said Cristian Munduate, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria.
