THE United Nations (UN) said it had donated $6 million to support flood victims in Borno State.
The UN disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, September 17, through its Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohammed Fall, according to Channels Television.
Fall noted that a joint mission comprising UN agencies, non-governmental organisations, and the Nigeria Red Cross Society visited Maiduguri, the state capital, over the weekend to access the severity of the disaster.
The ICIR reports that the flood crisis in Borno has left residents of the North-East state panicking after displacing thousands of people and destroying tonnes of valuables.
The ICIR earlier reported that the Maiduguri Zoo, popularly referred to as Sanda Kyarimi Park, located in the city centre, has been overtaken by water, causing many of its wild animals to escape into the streets.
The flooding was also said to have covered the Medium Security Custodial Centre, leading to the collapse of some of its buildings.
According to the state Governor Babagana Zulum, flooding, caused by the overflow of the Alau Dam following heavy rains, affected about a million people in the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) and Jere Local Government Areas (LGAs).
Speaking on its visit, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, said the team met with victims of the flood, noting that many of them were already facing the brunt of conflict and insecurity in the area.
“We and our partners are providing them with hot meals, we are facilitating air drops of food in hard-to-reach areas cut off by flood waters, and we are also trucking in water.
“We are also providing water and sanitation hygiene services and water purification tablets to stem disease outbreaks.
“This is in addition to supplying hygiene and dignity kits to women and girls, as well as emergency health and shelter services,” the statement added.
This development came two days after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar announced a donation of N100 million to the victims.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M