The United Nations has announced plans to transition the coordination and leadership of humanitarian interventions in Nigeria to local authorities and institutions, scaling back its central role through the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, made this known at the Joint Nigeria Humanitarian Transition Planning Workshop yesterday in Abuja.

He said that an inter-agency standing committee has been established to ensure a successful transition, clarifying that the policy shift does not mean abandoning vulnerable populations.

According to him, “the transition we are discussing today is therefore not about reducing or ending support; on the contrary, it is about transforming the way support is delivered.”

Fall explained that the objective is to pivot towards a framework where “Nigerian institutions, systems, NGOs and communities are at the forefront of humanitarian action,” sustained by domestic public and private funding.

Acknowledging the persistent challenges of conflict, climate shocks, and food insecurity affecting millions across the country, the UN cautioned that the handover must be responsibly implemented.

“We cannot allow shifts in coordination arrangements or financing modalities to result in gaps in assistance or protection. Our collective commitment must be that no one is left behind,” the coordinator stated.

Meanwhile, to ensure a seamless handover, stakeholders are developing a six-month roadmap aligned with the federal government’s emerging One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS).

Consequently, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction is expected to take charge of developing Nigeria’s 2027 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, backed by the technical expertise of the UN system.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, called for a united front among all stakeholders to tackle Nigeria’s complex crises, noting that the success of the impending transition would depend heavily on effective collaboration across all levels of government and civil society.

According to Doro, “no single institution can respond to the growing scale and complexity of humanitarian challenges alone.”

Therefore, to address this, a robust coordination architecture involving federal and state governments, the UN system, development partners, and the private sector is essential to boost national preparedness, improve information sharing, and enhance resource mobilisation.