Over 4m people at risk of hunger this rainy season, says Christian Aid

Christian Aid International, Nigeria, an international Non-governmental Organisation, Friday, disclosed that over four million Nigerians are at risk of hunger, with about 587,955 people projected to be at the emergency level.

The Country Director, Mr Temitope Fashola, made this known at an event to commemorate this year’s World Humanitarian Day, which has as its theme, ‘The Human Race.’

Fashola described the prevailing socio-economic situation in Nigeria as that which has rendered the citizens vulnerable and pushed them into survival mode.

Fashola informed that to ameliorate the suffering of the people, Christian Aid has been delivering humanitarian assistance to conflict and crisis-affected people across nine states of the federation, including Adamawa, Benue, Borno, Delta, Gombe, Kaduna, Kogi and Plateau States.

He added that the organisation also respond to needs caused by floods, violent clashes and insurgency.

“The organisation has a full fledge humanitarian response programme with a team of 60 members of staff and 38 volunteers working from several locations in the North East Geo-political zone of Nigeria.

He added that Christian Aid Nigeria has over 3,000 households benefiting from the ongoing humanitarian response that cuts across food distribution and nutrition, cash distribution, education and agriculture.

He added that malnutrition is increasing
and threatening the survival of more than a million while more than 1.74 million children under five years are expected to suffer acute malnutrition across the North East.

According to him, about 80 per cent of people in need of humanitarian assistance across the North East states are women and children.

Fashionable noted that 1,639 households are also participating in 20 different income-generating activities (IGAs) such as food processing, tailoring, shoe and bag making, and bricklaying courtesy of Christian Aid.

“These inventions are being implemented with a view to meeting the immediate needs of the people, boosting economic growth, creating jobs and improving the overall livelihood and wellbeing of individuals and households.

“As the crisis continues, humanitarian workers step up to respond every day by providing food and cash, health and clean water, protection services and emergency education to millions of women, children and men.

“As much as the aid community anticipates a period when a humanitarian crisis will abate in Nigeria, the increasing demand for a humanitarian response, however, requires a safe and secure operational environment that will allow humanitarian workers deliver aid in a principled manner that prioritizes their safety and security and that of the people they serve”, Fashola stated.