UN: We’ve provided humanitarian aid for 3.6m people in north-east in 2023

Matthias Schmale, the United Nations (UN) resident and humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, says the organisation provided aid to 3.6 million vulnerable people in the north-east within the first half of 2023.

Schmale spoke at an event commemorating the World Development Information Day held in Lagos on Tuesday.

The event hosted by the Africa Centre for Development Journalism (ACDJ) was a seminar for journalists and members of civic society organisations (CSOs).

Schmale said while the UN is often criticised for focusing on the north-east, the data emerging made “it understandable why the zone does need to be an area of priority for development and humanitarian work”.

“We are already doing a lot of good work around the country, but we need to scale it up and invest considerably in humanitarian terms, notably in the north-east,” the UN official said.

“We get criticised for being so focused on the north-east, although I think the data presented here today made it understandable why the zone does need to be an area of priority for development and humanitarian work.

“This year, in the three north-east states, we have already supported 3.6 million vulnerable people with essential humanitarian assistance in the first half of the year.

“We are very well aware of the considerable number of people across Nigeria who need assistance, and many are facing food insecurity.”

On his part, Rotimi Sankore, executive director of ACDJ, called on journalists to use data to hold the government accountable.

“We are urging journalists to pay attention to the data and do not let politicians get away with criminal negligence,” Sankore said.

“The houses of assembly are not paying attention to all these data, and these are what we should be looking at.”