Food Security: UN Allocates $20 Million to Provide Food for Needy Nigerians

The United Nations has assigned $20 million to rapidly enhance the response to the alarming food security crisis and malnutrition in the North-East region of Nigeria.

During a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York, Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq revealed this information. He stated, “Through nine million dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and eleven million dollars from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund, we will assist the government-led response efforts in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states. The assistance includes provisions such as ready-to-eat meals, access to clean water, healthcare, and support for agriculture.”

Humanitarian partners estimate that nearly 700,000 children under five are at risk of severe acute malnutrition, which could be life-threatening.

Additionally, over half a million people may experience emergency levels of food insecurity during the lean season from June to August.

Mr. Haq acknowledged that the emergency funding would help kickstart the response but emphasized that humanitarian partners require more resources to prevent widespread hunger and malnutrition.

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He stated, “The humanitarian response plan for Nigeria, which requires 1.3 billion dollars, is currently only 26 percent funded.”

Providing an update on Sudan, the deputy spokesperson mentioned that the humanitarian community is actively providing life-saving assistance to the people. He informed that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) facilitated the transportation of over 388 trucks carrying essential aid to various parts of the country.

This aid has reached over 375,000 individuals in North, South, East, and Central Darfur. As violence persists, a significant number of people continue to seek refuge in neighboring countries, with over 500,000 individuals having fled across Sudan’s borders, as reported by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).