The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is donating $1 million to Nigeria due to a flooding crisis that has affected over 2.5 million people.
[Image Source: The Guardian]
The U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, announced on October 20, 2022 the donation would help local partners to provide emergency shelter assistance, relief commodities, and hygiene kits. The goal of the relief effort is to promote safe and healthy practices and cash assistance for people impacted by the devastating floods.
The U.S. is afraid that the crisis is making Nigeria’s already critical humanitarian situation worse. The ambassador expressed worry that stagnant floodwaters will increase the risk of cholera outbreaks
[Image source: Relief Web]
Ambassador Leonard promised Nigerians, “USAID disaster experts will continue monitoring the situation in close coordination with humanitarian partners and the Government of Nigeria to assess needs and determine if additional assistance is required.”
The U.S. has maintained a history of providing humanitarian assistance to Nigeria. The USAID has provided more than $356 million in humanitarian assistance to Nigeria in 2022 alone. This life-saving assistance is in addition to USAID’s annual $539 million development budget for Nigeria.
What does this mean for Nigerians?
The money coming in would be of great help to Nigerian victims of floods who have complained of government neglect. The monetary compensation will help to sustain them while they count their losses. The aid would also help with the clearing of major drainage systems within the affected states as well as the provision of better camps, relief items, and facilities for Internally Displaced People (IDP).
