Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The European Union (EU), on Friday, announced that it has supported flood disaster victims with over one million Euros in Nigeria.
Head of EU Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Ketil Karlsen, made the disclosure during a media briefing, in Abuja, in company with the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency(NEMA), Mustapha Maihaja.
Karlsen said the amount is meant for the provision of shelter, medicine and other basic items for an estimated 60,000 people in three of the nine most affected states, namely: Anambra, Kogi and Delta.
“We have responded decisively to the calls of Nigerian government to seek help from the international partners in a situation where the ongoing flooding in Nigeria has affected around two million people.
“The European Union has mobilised one million euros (N400 million) in support of the ongoing efforts.
“This funding aims at helping the victims in the most affected states, to help provide shelter, medicine and basic items for an estimated 60,000 people in a three of the nine most affected states,” Karlsen said.
Karlsen further said the EU is providing technical expertise and detail satellite maps to aid the management services.
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Karlsen added that the federal government must acknowledge that the adverse effect of climate change is having a critical impact on its people.
He called on the government to redouble its efforts to proactively prepare for future occurrence.
The EU support, Karlsen further said, was not limited to humanitarian aid, but also involved efforts to mitigate the effect of flooding through early preparation.
He assured that the EU would watch closely on a clear supervision and monitoring to ensure that the materials are being delivered as urgently as possible to the affected people.
Karlsen further said the European Civil and Humanitarian Aid Organisation (ECHO), has provided 48 million euros in the current year to support victims of Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast.
In his remarks, Maihaja said flooding displaced over two million people, with 199 lives lost and 307,554 hectares of farmland destroyed.
“We don’t give our materials to the state governments. We carry out direct distribution to the people.
“Our officials go to the remotest parts of Nigeria to distribute the relief items,” Maihaja said.
Maihaja also acknowledged that the EU provided NEMA with data, information and corresponding analysis for the flood situation, metrological situation, dam water release scenario and impact assessment.