TheCable

Matthias Schmale, the UN resident representative in Nigeria, has announced a $10.5 million fund to support flood response in Nigeria.

According to NAN, Fahran Haq, Schmale’s deputy spokesperson, made this known at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York.

Haq said Schmale announced the intervention as the country “faces unprecedented flooding with more than 4.4 million people affected across the country and 2.4 million displaced”.

“This new funding from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund will provide clean water, sanitation, health care, shelter and non-food items for people in the most affected states,” Haq said.

“This will include people affected in the north-east of the country where people are reeling from the combined impact of floods, protracted conflict, rising hunger and a cholera outbreak.”

Meanwhile, Schmale condemned the killing of Alam Muluseta, a staff of Médecins du Monde, who was shot by a soldier of the Nigerian army at Damboa LGA of Borno state.

TheCable had reported how the soldier opened fire on the humanitarian worker, a pilot of the United Nations as well as his colleague.

“On behalf of the United Nations, Schmale conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the aid worker’s family and to her colleagues,” Haq said.

“He also wished a speedy recovery to a pilot working with the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) who was injured in the deplorable attack by an apparently rogue soldier.

“Schmale stressed that all humanitarian staff working in north-east Nigeria deserve our fullest respect for their courage and commitment to stay and deliver life-saving assistance to people in need in often difficult and dangerous circumstances.

“Humanitarian workers must be protected.”