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UN Allocates $15 million to Address Food Insecurity and Malnutrition in North East
UN Allocates $15 million to Address Food Insecurity and Malnutrition in North East
By: James Bwala
The United Nations has allocated US$15 million to support humanitarian assistance in Nigeria’s North East.
A statement by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) on Thursday said the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Martins Griffiths has allocated US$15 million emergency funding from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support urgently needed humanitarian assistance in north-east Nigeria.
The statement quoted the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (a.i) for Nigeria Mr. Matthias Schmale to have said that: “The food security and nutrition situation is deteriorating, with more and more families pushed towards vulnerability, and forced to resort to negative coping mechanisms including child labour and early marriage.”
He added that: “As desperation pushes extremely vulnerable people to the edge, food and nutrition assistance is critical for their survival. The $15 million CERF allocation comes right on time to respond to the most urgent needs of people at extreme risk as we appeal to Member States to provide the resources we urgently need.”
According to the statement, the CERF allocation will enable humanitarian agencies to improve and strengthen timely and coordinated access to appropriate food and cash aid to the most vulnerable in crisis-affected areas.
Schmale said: “Thanks to the support of humanitarian agencies and donors, a catastrophic food insecurity was averted in 2021. However, danger looms again for the people of north-east Nigeria if efforts are not sustained and the urgently needed resources are not made available, enabling us to take immediate action for the people of north-east Nigeria.”
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The statement revealed that the $15 million allocation to the humanitarian response in Nigeria is part of $100 million that the UN allocated to fight hunger in Africa and the Middle East, as the spill-over effects of the war in Ukraine threaten to push millions even closer to famine and exacerbate humanitarian needs.
Violence and conflict over the last 12 years have turned north-east Nigeria into a prolonged and alarming humanitarian crisis which has displaced 2.2 million people.
According to the Cadre Harmonisé food and nutrition analysis published in March 2022, about 600,000 people are projected to be in an emergency situation, not knowing where their next meal will come from. They are among 4.1 million people projected to be food insecure in the crisis-affected states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, during the peak of the June to August 2022 lean season. This is a 19 per cent increase in the number of people in need of food security assistance since the October 2021 analysis, including an alarming 28 per cent increase in the number of people in the emergency category.
The statement further lamented that malnutrition among children continues to be increasingly threatening, and $351 million is urgently needed by May to deliver life-saving food security and nutrition assistance to the most affected people.
In total, the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan for Nigeria is seeking $1.1 billion to support 5.5 million people.
CERF is one of the fastest and most efficient mechanisms for providing emergency funding to people in need, through rapid allocations to new and deteriorating crises or where there’s shortage of funds.
The fund pools contributions from a range of donors, and resources are allocated on strict life-saving criteria to help the most vulnerable. Over the past six months, CERF has allocated more than $170 million to address rising food insecurity in several countries, including those that will receive the new funding.
UN Allocates $15 million to Address Food Insecurity and Malnutrition in North East
Four Soldiers Injured in Vehicle Accident on Mambilla Plateau
By: Zagazola Makama
Four Nigerian soldiers have sustained injuries in a vehicle accident on the Mambilla Plateau in Taraba State.
The accident occurred on Thursday while the troops were moving across the mountainous terrain of the area, Zagazola reports.
The Emir of Mambilla, Dr. Shehu Audu Baju, was said to have personally joined in the rescue operation to ensure that the soldiers received prompt assistance.
Following the rescue, the injured personnel were evacuated to the 20 Battalion Barracks in Serti for urgent medical care.
Community members and traditional leaders in the area have expressed sympathy and prayed for the speedy recovery of the soldiers, while also calling for the safety of other security operatives on duty.
Four Soldiers Injured in Vehicle Accident on Mambilla Plateau
UKNIAF, NGF Advance Electricity Reform with Nationwide Workshop Series
By: Michael Mike
The United Kingdom Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (UKNIAF), in partnership with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) have wrapped up a major national initiative to support State-led electricity market reforms.
The State Learning Workshop Series focused on Electricity Market Development, Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) and energy modelling software.
Workshops in Lagos, Calabar, Kano and Jos have been successfully completed, drawing participants from all the 36 States and the FCT and setting a strong precedent for what lies ahead.
These sessions equipped policymakers, regulators and stakeholders with the tools to design robust, sustainable and investor-ready electricity markets at the State level, in line with the provisions of the Electricity Act 2023.
Reflecting on the significance of this initiative, the Director-Legal/Head Power Desk at the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Mr. Chijioke Chuku,, stated that: “Nigeria’s electricity future depends on the capacity of our States to lead with vision, clarity, and technical precision. Through the workshop series, we are equipping States not just with knowledge, but with the confidence to take charge of their electricity markets. The NGF is proud to partner with UKNIAF in ensuring that the promise of the Electricity Act 2023 becomes a lived reality across the country.”
The sessions in the State Learning Workshops covered: The legal and regulatory pathways for setting up State Electricity Markets; Commercial models for private sector investment; Integration of State plans into Nigeria’s National IRP;
Practical training on the software platform for energy modelling.
The initiative drew from lessons learned in the course of UKNIAF’s work supporting the Akwa Ibom, Enugu, and Oyo State Governments—early movers in electricity market development—in setting up their markets.
It also drew from experience gained in the course of UKNIAF providing technical support to the Federal Ministry of Power in drafting both the National Integrated Electricity Policy and Nigeria’s first National Integrated Resource Plan, both of which were approved very recently.
With States now empowered by the Electricity Act 2023, this series is a timely and strategic effort to ensure capacity, coordination, and sustainability in Nigeria’s decentralised energy landscape.
UKNIAF, NGF Advance Electricity Reform with Nationwide Workshop Series
Three killed, others injured in bandits’ attack on Zamfara community
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed bandits have killed three persons and injured three others in an attack on Galadi town, Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara.
Sources confirmed the incident saying the attack occurred at about 10:50 p.m. on Aug. 27.
The sources said the bandits stormed the town, shooting sporadically, which resulted in the deaths and injuries.
Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA were mobilised to the scene. The corpses and injured victims were evacuated to Galadi Primary Health Care Centre for autopsy and treatment.
Meanwhile, a manhunt for the fleeing culprits has been intensified, as the bandits escaped before the arrival of the joint forces,” the sources said.
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