EU Commits N400m to Assist 60,000 Flood Victims in Nigeria

The European Union on Friday said it will assist sixty thousand flood victims in three states worst hit by flood in Nigeria.

The EU explained that the financial commitment in the sum of N400million (1 million Euros) would be expended on providing shelter, Medicine and basic items to the most vulnerable affected victims of flood in Kogi, Anambra and Delta states.

In a joint media parley in Abuja by the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA and the EU Ambassador Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ketil Karlsen stated that the EU would also support government efforts with technical expertise in forecasting and preparedness against future occurrences.

“The European Union in partnership with Nigeria has mobilized €1 million to the ongoing efforts by government equivalent to N400 million to provide relief for an estimated 60,000 people in three of the nine states already declared as states of emergency.

“We have made sure to provide technical expertise that is already on ground helping, and we have also provided detailed satellite maps to aid management of the situation”.

The ambassador disclosed that the adverse effects of climate is taking a toll on many countries in the world especially countries like Nigeria which according to him required international support to manage the situation.

“We also encourage the government to redouble its preparedness efforts, because more can be done in order to proactively prepare for what we know will occur again,” he stated.

Ambassador Karslen reiterated the EU’s commitment to strengthening national institutions’ resilience capacity, and promised close supervision and monitoring of the utilization of funds and aids to the people who needed them most.

on his part,the Director General NEMA, Mustapha Maihaja said flooding has displaced over two million people, out of which 199 lost their lives and 307,554 hectares of farmland destroyed.

He revealed that reconstructing communities already submerged is a huge task the government cannot achieve alone.

“The assessment of the farmlands could not be completed as many of the farmland were still under water, and the number of the affected keeps increasing as the water is creating more havoc as it flows down’’, he stated.

NEMA boss added that the Agency required the assistance of EU in majorly areas of technical expertise, provision of prevention infrastructure, and forecast among others.

Maihaja assured that federal government is doing its best in ensuring adequate welfare of victims of the flood, while appreciating the EU for prompt response and support to the agency.