By Miriam Humbe
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Monday, said it was releasing more than US$1.8 million to address the urgent needs of people affected by floods across Nigeria.
In a statement, the IOM said that the funding would enable local and international non-governmental organizations to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to more than 180,000 people in Borno, Benue, Adamawa and Yobe States.
IOM Nigeria Chief of Mission ad interim, Paola Pace, said: “The dramatic flooding we are witnessing this year has devastated countless communities, displacing families and disrupting lives”,
“Our priority is to ensure immediate relief and support is provided to those affected, ensuring they have access to essential services and the resources needed to rebuild their lives.”
The response, channeled through the Rapid Response Fund, will include shelter, non-food items, multipurpose cash assistance, protection and water, sanitation, and hygiene services to alleviate their immediate suffering and facilitate their timely recovery.
The funding complements existing allocations including from the Central Emergency Response Fund and the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund, and will further contribute to strengthening protection services, including community-based protection services for children and women, prevention and response to gender-based violence in some of the targeted areas.
More than 1.2 million people have been affected by floods across Nigeria this year, most of them in Borno State which has been the epicenter of a protracted humanitarian crisis.
The floods have created unprecedented destruction, reportedly killing 300 people, destroying hectares of land and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes in search for safety.
