Flood endangers 2.5 million Nigerians, UNICEF cries out

•Says more than 1.5 million children are at risk of malnutrition, drowning •Bayelsa, C/River, Delta, Anambra flood victims tell tales of woe

THE United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that more than 1.5 million children are at risk of malnutrition and drowning as a result of the devastating floods in Nigeria.

“More than 2.5 million people in Nigeria are in need of humanitarian assistance, 60 per cent of whom are children and are at increased risk of waterborne diseases, drowning and malnutrition due to the most severe flooding in the past decade,” UNICEF said.

UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, in a statement on Friday, noted that the floods, which have affected 34 out of the 36 states in the country, have displaced 1.3 million people.

“Over 600 people have lost their lives and over 200,000 houses have either been partially or fully damaged.

“Cases of diarrhoea and water-borne diseases, respiratory infection and skin diseases have already been on the rise, a statement issued by the UNICEF Communication Specialist, Dr Geoffrey Njoku, said.

Munduate noted that in the north-eastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe alone, a total of 7,485 cases of cholera and 319 associated deaths were reported as of 12 October.

“As rains are expected to continue for several weeks, humanitarian needs are also expected to rise.

“Children and adolescents in flood-affected areas are in an extremely vulnerable situation,” Cristian Munduate warned, adding that they are particularly at risk of water-borne diseases and emotional and psychological distress.

The statement reads in part: “UNICEF is working closely with the government and other partners to provide life-saving assistance to those who are most in need.

“The floods are adding another layer of complexity to an already precarious humanitarian situation in the country.

“Immediate priority needs for children include health, water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as shelter and food.

“Additional funding and resources are required to respond to growing needs and to sustain ongoing humanitarian interventions, with a focus on the most vulnerable, including children with disabilities.

“According to UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI), Nigeria is considered at ‘extremely high risk’ of the impacts of climate change, ranking second out of 163 countries.

“Children in ‘extremely high risk’ countries face a deadly combination of exposure to multiple climate and environmental shocks combined with high levels of underlying child vulnerability, due to inadequate essential services, such as water and sanitation, healthcare and education.

“To date, UNICEF has supported the government response in three affected states – Jigawa, Niger and Kaduna – including through the provision of cash assistance, distribution of cholera kits, government-led mobile health teams, temporary learning centres and learning kits and cholera kits.

“With additional support, UNICEF can scale up its response in other states to provide life-saving medical equipment and essential medicines, chlorination of water and sanitation supplies, as well as to support the prevention of and response to sexual and gender-based violence.”

The floods ravaged many parts of the country, leaving devastations in their trail.