TheCable

The UN Volunteers says it is ready to assist Nigeria to respond to the overwhelming humanitarian situation caused by the Boko Haram terrorist group in the north-east.

Geoff Prewitt, chief of the development programming section at United Nations Volunteers, made the offer following his recent travels through Nigeria, including visits to north-east.

Geoff said “in times of crisis, the valuable role of volunteers should never be underestimated.

“The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is ready to deploy in Nigeria much needed personnel to complement the existing resources of UN agencies within the country.

“Our partnerships with more than 30 UN agencies allow us to mobilise UN Volunteers across a wide range of functions, recruiting both nationally and internationally.

“This includes in fields of health, sanitation, agriculture, logistics, child protection, supply management – the list goes on”.

He called on all UN agencies to intensify their heroic efforts thus far and continue to provide much-needed support to the innocent communities in Northeast Nigeria.

“As a collective, we may avoid looking back and saying to ourselves, we could have done more, we should have done more,” he said.

“Efforts by the United Nations through the Humanitarian Response Plan for Nigeria are underway to increase funding for food aid and life-saving humanitarian assistance, yet commitments from donors remain low.

“This forces UN agencies in Nigeria to consider carefully the needs of those most at risk in hope that funding will increase before the threat of famine reaches catastrophic proportions.

“Millions of lives are at stake. The UN family in Nigeria is working tirelessly to provided needed relief but recognize that more should be done.

“Addressing the needs of the population will require more than money, it will require willing hands and hearts.”