Mohammed Fall, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria stated on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, that the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund would provide $6 million support for Borno State’s flood victims.

On September 10, 2024, thousands of people were forced to escape their homes due to the collapse of the Alau Dam, which is situated slightly over 10 miles south of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.

A combined delegation made up of UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the Nigeria Red Cross Society visited Maiduguri over the weekend, according to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, who made the announcement during a news conference on Monday in New York that was covered by the Punch.

According to Dujarric, many of the individuals they met, had previously experienced several displacements due to conflict and insecurity in the region.

“We are trucking in water, arranging air drops of food in hard-to-reach locations cut off by flood waters, and serving them hot meals with our partners. Along with water and sanitation hygiene services, we also offer water purification pills to stop the spread of disease. This is in addition to providing emergency medical attention, shelter, and kits for hygiene and dignity to women and girls.”

According to Dujarric, in order to obtain more funding, the personnel of the UN Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs were also collaborating closely with donors. Amidst the terrible food shortages that 32 million people in Nigeria are experiencing, floods have destroyed over 125,000 hectares of farmland in the country, right before harvest time.

Emmanuel Bigenimana, the Head of the World Food Programme office in Maiduguri, had earlier reported that he had been able to quickly assess the needs and damage by flying over the city in a UN Humanitarian Air Service chopper that had been sent by the WFP. He described submerged homes, infrastructure, highways, schools, and hospitals, saying, “What I have seen is really heartbreaking.” “A huge number of people between 200,000 and 300,000 displaced people are overcrowded in various IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps and on the streets,” he added.

According to WFP, when the dam collapsed, river water overflowed 50% of Maiduguri, and state authorities ordered those living in the affected districts to evacuate while pleading for relief.

Speaking from the center of one of the camps for internally displaced people, Bigenimana stated that the World Food Program (WFP) was stepping up its response in coordination with partners and the government, having opened soup kitchens to offer hot meals to those in need.

WFP said, the soup kitchens at Teachers’ Village, Asheikh, and Yerwa are intended to feed “50,000 of the worst affected children, women, and men who have lost their homes” with wholesome, hot meals; however, additional support is required.

Bigenimana emphasized, “This is actually an additional burden to already existing crises.” “There has been conflict in this area for ten years.”

One of the regions most severely impacted by the Boko Haram insurgency was Borno State, which the UN claimed to have some degree of control over earlier this year. “Food prices have been skyrocketing and we have seen food inflation more recently, which has really affected millions of people who are facing food insecurity,” Bigenimana continued. All throughout the nation, people are suffering greatly as a result of the bad weather.

As of September 2024, the World Food Program reported that flooding had affected almost 800,000 people in 29 states in Nigeria and had submerged over 550,000 hectares of farmland. About 32 million people in the nation were already suffering from severe hunger as of March.

According to the UN Food Agency, in order to provide food insecurity relief to the northeastern region of Nigeria for the next six months, 147.9 million dollars will be needed.

“Recovery will take long” for Maiduguri’s flood-affected residents. “We need more resources to think of long-term recovery and solutions, as well as to put together efforts to respond to the crises and save lives,” Bigenimana added.

Read Also: Flooding: 281 Inmates Flee from Borno Correctional Centre, 7 Recaptured