The United States government has committed $9 million in additional humanitarian assistance to bolster disaster response efforts in North-east.
The US embassy in a statement issued Wednesday said the new humanitarian assistance followed a contribution of $6 million in 2022.
It stated: “The United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing $9 million in humanitarian assistance to bolster disaster response efforts in Northeast Nigeria.
“Through the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration, the funds will provide emergency shelter, water and sanitation, psychosocial support services, and cash to populations affected by floods from the ongoing rainy season across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States.”
It noted that the funds would provide critical life-saving assistance to populations affected by other natural disasters such as fire or climate-related shocks.
It added: b;”As the United States Mission to Nigeria announced in October and December 2022, the U.S. Government provided $6 million in life-saving aid to support the people affected by last year’s devastating floods.
“This included $1.75 million to the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies in partnership with the Nigerian Red Cross Society; $2.5 million to the International Organization for Migration; and $1.75 million divided among Save the Children, FHI360, and Intersos.
“These agencies used the funds to reach more than 225,000 people in seven highly affected states with critical aid.”
It added that the assistance included emergency shelter repair kits, water and sanitation purification tablets to protect against water borne diseases, hygiene kits to promote safe and healthy practices, and multipurpose cash for families to purchase what they need to recover.