19 million Nigerians face food insecurity over flooding – UN

The United Nations (UN) has raised concern over the flooding in Nigeria this year.

At a news conference at UN headquarters in New York, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the world body was following events.

“We are gravely concerned that the flooding will worsen the already alarming food insecurity and malnutrition situation in Nigeria.”

Dujarric noted that at least 440,000 hectares of farmland have been partially or totally damaged.

The UN added that “more than 19 million people across Nigeria are facing severe food insecurity.’’

The spokesperson said since July, the Nigeria government have provided food, non-food items and clean drinking water to thousands of families.

The UN said it was aiding the government with assessments and response in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe and other states, along with humanitarian partners.

The support includes emergency shelter kits, local water drains, sandbags, and walling around shelters to mitigate the impacts of the flooding.

The Nigerian government had announced that over 600 people have died, and 1.3 million people displaced.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) hinted that cereal production would likely decline by 3.4 per cent due to flooding, high agriculture production costs, and insecurity.