FAO warns of worsening food insecurity, says 31.8m at risk

• UAE donates 50 tonnes of relief materials for flood victims

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned about worsening food insecurity in Nigeria following escalating floods in many states.

The organisation, a United Nations(UN) agency, said in a statement yesterday that nearly 31.8 million Nigerians are currently at risk of acute food insecurity.

 It noted that the ravaging floods have already impacted 2.5 million people and displaced 200,000 in 29 states.

FAO’s  Acting Representative in Nigeria, Koffy Dominique Kouacou, expressed the concern shortly before the Federal Government received 50 tonnes of humanitarian aid from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The items are for flood victims.

 Kouacou, who lamented  that  floods are pushing vulnerable communities deeper into poverty, with the loss of their farmland,   called for coordinated action to prevent a worsening humanitarian crisisThe FAO statement reads in part:  “As of early September 2024, FAO reported that 1.3 million hectares of land had been submerged, including 558,000 hectares of cropland. With rivers continuing to swell and dams nearing capacity, floodwaters are expected to rise further, threatening communities in northern Nigeria.

“Northeastern states of Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe have been particularly hard-hit. Over 880,000 people have been affected, and nearly 300,000 hectares of farmland have been destroyed.

“The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is leading the response efforts in collaboration with government authorities.’’

 Also at the weekend, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall,  expressed concern that  ‘’flooding has damaged more than 125,000 hectares of farmland in the country.

Fall  said it was unfortunate that the destruction happened ‘’at a time when 32 million people in the country are facing severe food insecurity.’’

He spoke when he visited Governor Zulum in company with officials of some non-governmental organisations. 

A statement by Mr. Oluseyi Soremekun, National Information Officer, UN Information Centre (UNIC), said that Fall  pledged more support for the Maiduguri flood victims and expressed condolences and solidarity with the government and the people of Borno State.

The statement reads in part: “Led by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, the senior UN and NGO officials met with the Governor of Borno, H.E. Prof Babagana Zulum. They expressed their condolences and solidarity with the Government and the people of Borno following the loss of lives and widespread destruction caused by the flooding.

  Zulum expressed his appreciation to the UN and NGO partners for their support.

 “We are thankful especially for the use of the UN helicopters to deliver life-saving assistance including food and non-food items in communities cut off by the flood. I also thank the UN for camp coordination and camp management support,” the governor told the team

UAE donates materials for flood victims 

 Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Office of the National Security Adviser to the President (NSA) received 50 tonnes of relief materials    from UAE at  the Cargo wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.UAE Ambassador, Salem Alshamsi, who did the  presentation, said  the gift  was in line with his country’s  gesture to support countries affected by natural disasters.

“This urgent humanitarian aid of 50 tonnes of basic supplies has been provided to our friendly people of Nigeria, to support areas affected by the recent floods.The UAE, as usual, is always helping nations affected by natural disasters. So we are happy to be here,” Alshamsi said.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Dunoma,  commended the UAE government and people   for supporting Nigeria.

NEMA warns of imminent floods in Rivers

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has warned residents of Rivers  of  impending floods within  the next four weeks.

 “In the next four weeks, the intensity of the rain will be high in Rivers, and we have already sensitised people in areas prone to flash floods,’’ said the  South-South Zonal Coordinator of the agency,  Adebiyi Razak.

Razak explained yesterday  that NEMA has begun preparing residents to mitigate the impact of the floods as the intensity of rainfall increases in the Southsouth, particularly in Rivers.

“We have visited Ahoada West, Ahoada East, Andoni, Ndoni, Obio/Akpor, Oyigbo, and Tai Local Government Areas, as well as coastal areas that are likely to be impacted.

“Tai has experienced flash floods, and two Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps have been identified in the area,” he said.

In Benue , the state government announced that it had  prepared camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IPDs) in case of flooding.

The Technical Committee on Flood Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation and Response team took the decision during their meeting on Sunday in Makurdi.

The   Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) had predicted that eight local government areas in state would be heavily affected by the impending flooding.

https://thenationonlineng.net/fao-warns-of-worsening-food-insecurity-says-31-8m-at-risk/