US to donate $1m to flood victims in Nigeria; Peter Obi suspends campaigns, to visit affected states

A pledge to release the sum of $1 million has been made by the United States as humanitarian assistance for the victims affected by the sudden flooding in Nigeria.

The provision was made through U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a reliable source has revealed.

Apart from the displacement of people from their homes and loss of belongings, this development may trigger a cholera outbreak.

This has prompted the U.S to pledge to release the $1 million to enable local partners on the ground to provide emergency shelter assistance, relief materials, and hygiene kits to bolster safe and healthy practices. Others are the multipurpose cash assistance for people affected by the devastating floods.

In reaction to the critical situation in the West African country, the U.S Consulate in Nigeria, said “he feels sorry for over 2.8 million people across the country that were affected by the unusually heavy rainfall that resulted to flooding which has left homes damaged or completely destroyed, displacing millions of people.

“We are filled with grief for the flood victims who have lost so much – livelihoods, homes, and even loved ones,”

“The United States continues to stand with the people of Nigeria during this extremely difficult time,” Mary Beth Leonard U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, said.

The statement read, “Floods have exacerbated an already critical humanitarian situation in Nigeria, where ongoing conflict, especially in the northern region, has driven millions of people from their homes. In the same region, more than 4 million people are projected to continue experiencing acute food insecurity amid the worsening global food crisis.”

“We are also concerned that standing floodwaters could increase the risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states, where cholera outbreaks were declared in August and September and at least 7,750 cases were recorded in 2022, 31 out of 36 states reported cholera cases.

“As experts expect heavy rainfall and flooding to continue through November, due in part to climate change and insufficient drainage infrastructure, USAID disaster experts will continue monitoring the situation in close coordination with humanitarian partners and the Government of Nigeria to assess needs and determine if additional assistance is required.

“The United States maintains a long history of providing humanitarian assistance across the country. In 2022, USAID provided more than $356 million in humanitarian assistance to people most affected by conflict and food insecurity in Nigeria.

“This life-saving assistance is in addition to USAID’s annual $539 million development budget for Nigeria that supports economic growth, health, democratic governance, and education.”

So far, the Flood in Ibaji Local Government Area Kogi State and some parts of Lokoja have displaced more than 50,000 people as the number in other parts of Nigeria keep increasing on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has suspended campaign activities over the floods ravaging many parts of the country.

“I stopped and told my people no more campaigns until we’re able to visit some of the sites and at least sympathise with victims,” he said.

Mr Obi has also called on the candidates of other political parties to suspend their campaigns and join him to help the flood victims.

He said this when he visited the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, in Abuja on Wednesday. His meeting with Mr Ortom was aimed at discussing modalities on his planned visit to flood sites in Benue and other states.

His call comes amid cases of floods that have hit parts of Nigeria in the last two months. Some affected states are Kogi, Benue, Ebonyi, Anambra, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Imo, Abia, Edo, Delta, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, and parts of the Federal Capital Territory.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said about 2.5 million persons are affected and over 603 persons were killed by the flooding caused by the rains.

Addressing journalists, Mr Obi said he expected other presidential candidates to show concern for the plight of victims of flooding, considering how millions were spent on nomination forms alone.

He said everyone must work hard irrespective of political differences.

He vowed to fix Nigeria’s challenges if elected as the next president.