Only 33% of UN humanitarian response plan for Nigeria funded — Spokesman

The United Nations (UN) said on Tuesday that only 33 per cent of its 848 million dollar humanitarian response plan for Nigeria in 2019 had been funded.

UN spokesman Mr Farhan Haq disclosed this while briefing correspondents at the organisation’s headquarters in New York.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 33 per cent of 848 million dollars translates into 279 million dollars.

“The 2019 humanitarian response plan for Nigeria is 848 million dollars to help 6.2 million people, but is only 33 per cent funded.

“Beyond Nigeria, the Boko Haram insurgency is also affecting Cameroon, Chad and Niger, with newly 10 million people in need of humanitarian assistance Cross the lake chad region.

“This year, the humanitarian community is seeking 1.3 billion dollars for the Lake Chad region, but the appeal is only 20 per cent funded so far,” Haq said.

Meanwhile, the spokesman said that Boko Haram insurgency now in its 10th year, was showing no signs of abating, citing UN humanitarian officials.

Haq said no fewer than seven million people were in need of life-saving assistance including nearly three million people “who are food insecure”.

“Some 1.8 million people are internally displaced, and this number is rising due to the continued violent clashes between non-state armed groups and Nigerian security forces,” he said.

According to him, the UN and humanitarian organisations have reached more than two million people with aid in spite of the insecurity,

However, reports from the Nigerian army paints a rather positive picture of the security situation in the north east and other parts of the country.

Recently, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, said that insecurity had been “tamed across the country by the military”.

Speaking during a visit to troops stationed in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State in Northern Nigeria, Buratai said that efforts by the military had reduced insecurity across the country.

“Apart from in some isolated remote areas as a result of some other factors, the attacks have drastically reduced.

“That means we are winning and it is a great success which should make people feel assured,” he said.

-NAN