The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Nigeria: crisis in north-east will get worse without urgent help, says OCHA
UN humanitarians issued an alert on Tuesday on the deteriorating situation for millions of mainly women and children in north-east Nigeria who continue to be affected by protracted armed conflict, just as the country enters the lean season.
Well over eight million people are in need of assistance in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states and an estimated 600,000 face emergency levels of food insecurity because of extremist violence centred around the Lake Chad region, that’s now in its 12th year.
Although previously dominant Boko Haram militia have been significantly weakened since the group’s leader was killed over a year ago, it continues to carry out indiscriminate attacks, said the UN’s top relief official in Nigeria, Matthias Schmale. Another extremist offshoot, ISWAP, is also dangerous, although it had also suffered setbacks, he noted.
As in previous years, a staggering one million people are also beyond the reach of international aid teams, said Mr. Schmale, who is the acting UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria. More than 80 per cent of those in need are women and children, who also face “abductions, rape and abuse”, while indiscriminate attacks in Borno state make it the most “unstable place to be”, he added.
“We’ve been asking to support out of the 8.4 million people in need of support at least 5.5 million,” Mr. Schmale told journalists in Geneva. “The conflict has left 2.2 million people presently displaced…We’ve just entered what is called the lean season that normally lasts ‘til September; last year it lasted ‘til November, so we’re also seeing the impact of climate change.”
Mr. Schmale noted that although Nigeria is a major oil producer, it lacks refineries which means that it has not benefited from the global surge in energy prices, linked to war in Ukraine.
“It’s early days yet in terms of understanding the full impact, as you may know, in Nigeria from the beginning there was speculation as to whether Nigeria would benefit as an oil-producing country. We’re not seeing that in fact at all, because Nigeria, as contradictory as this may sound, depends very largely on imports of refined oil so, the price rises we’ve seen are not benefiting Nigeria, that’s one concern.”
In time, the massive country could feed itself and avoid ever costlier food imports, the UN official insisted, although for the moment, it lacks the infrastructure and agricultural investment required to be competitive at a global level.
Of particular concern are the 1.74 million children under five who are expected to be suffer from acute malnutrition in the north-east in coming months.
“A key message is ringing the alarm bell,” Mr. Schmale said. “If we don’t get immediate funding soon for an initial multisector response plan worth $350 million, we will have a crisis that will be much worse in a couple of months.”
He added: “We hope that the international community realises that you ignore a situation like in the north-east of Nigeria at your own peril; it could have far-reaching consequences beyond the borders of Nigeria if we’re not able to keep it stable.”
ends
STORY: Nigeria Humanitarian Emergency - OCHA
TRT: 2 mins 15s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 21 June 2022 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior wide shot, flag alley, UN Geneva.
- Medium shot, UN Geneva Press room.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Matthias Schmale, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “A key message is ringing the alarm bell. And what I mean by that is if we don’t get immediate funding soon for an initial multisector response plan worth $350 million, we will have a crisis that will be much worse in a couple of months.”
- Medium shot, participant, seated, in front of large TV screen showing Mr. Schmale.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Matthias Schmale, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “There are 600,000 people projected to be at emergency risk level in terms of food insecurity.”
- Medium shot, podium speakers, journalists.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Matthias Schmale, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “Now this is all happening in the context of a protracted crisis caused by a non-international armed conflict as many of you will know across the three states in the north-east in Nigeria: Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.”
- Medium shot, journalists writing on notepad or laptop in foreground, participant to rear.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Matthias Schmale, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “We’ve been asking to support out of the 8.4 million people in need of support at least 5.5 million. The conflict has left 2.2 million people presently displaced.”
- Medium shot, participant in foreground, podium speakers to rear.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Matthias Schmale, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “We’ve just entered what is called the lean season that normally lasts ‘til September; last year it lasted ‘til November, so we’re also seeing the impact of climate change.”
- Medium shot, journalist in foreground, podium speakers to rear.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Matthias Schmale, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “It’s early days yet in terms of understanding the full impact, as you may know, in Nigeria from the beginning there was speculation as to whether Nigeria would benefit as an oil-producing country. We’re not seeing that in fact at all, because Nigeria, as contradictory as this may sound, depends very largely on imports of refined oil so, the price rises we’ve seen are not benefiting Nigeria, that’s one concern.”
- Wide shot, journalists, TV camera on tripod, lighting panel on stand.
- Close-up, podium speakers seated in front of UN Geneva backdrop.
- Medium shot, journalists, UN staff.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokeperson Jeremy Laurence appealed for calm in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir amid a wave of unrest ahead of regional elections at the end of the month.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
UN humanitarians working in war-torn Sudan warned on Friday of growing dramatic needs among the more than 100,000 displaced people now sheltering in camps in the city of El Obeid. "We are providing even not the full food ration to the people, but even that reduced food ration is being shared by the recipients with other families, because they know that they don't have any other source of income," said World Food Programme (WFP) Sudan Country Director Abdallah Alwardat.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IOM , OHCHR , UN WOMEN , WHO , WFP
WFP: Mass displacement from El Obeid as food stocks run low; IOM: Ebola outbreak in the East, Horn and Southern Africa region; OHCHR: Wave of unrest in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir; UN WOMEN: Report launch: Women on the Move in Europe and Central Asia
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘This is a fire’: DRC Ebola outbreak is fastest-growing ever, warns WHO
Infections of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached record highs and a majority of new cases are coming from “unknown chains of transmission”, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNHCR , UNOG , WHO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Health Organization.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
In war-torn Sudan, a deadly new cholera outbreak has already claimed more than 100 lives, heightening serious concerns for vulnerable communities including in besieged El-Obeid, where daily drone attacks reportedly continue to hamper aid access.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNOG , UN WOMEN , WHO , WMO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of UN Women, WHO and WMO
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
Ceasefire reduces violence in South Lebanon, but challenges remain as communities face devastation.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Ebola continues to spread in DRC, death toll passes 500 – WHO
The outbreak of the deadly Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is expanding, while the push to accelerate testing and identify effective treatment options continues, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | WHO , IFRC , ICRC , UNHCR , WMO , UN80
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Policy, and spokespersons and representatives from the World Health Organization, International Committee of the Red Cross, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the World Meteorological Organization.
2
1
2
Press Conferences | UNCTAD
Global investment is rising again. But it's becoming more concentrated, more selective and less accessible to many developing countries.
The recovery remains fragile. Growth is concentrated in a small number of economies and in capital- and technology-intensive sectors.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UN , ODET , ITU , UNESCO , PGA
Opening of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance