Journalist and Financial Times West Africa correspondent, Maggie Fick, is blowing the horn on the sheer magnitude of the humanitarian crisis in war torn North East Nigeria. She warns that more lives may be lost if the Nigerian government and the international community fails to face this challenge squarely.
Do see below:
In north-east Nigeria, the humanitarian crisis caused by Boko Haram may claim more lives than the militants did. @FT story pic.twitter.com/skagFxeCZR
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
*I should say, "than the militants have so far"
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
Below,donors, diplomats, & sr humanitarian officials describe the Nigerian govt's+their own response 2 humanitarian crisis in NE Nigeria @FT pic.twitter.com/NpT6d4462B
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
.@UNICEF nutritionist: V unusual 4 people 2 die of hunger,as here;often they die of malaria, diarrhea bc immune system weak fr malnutrition. pic.twitter.com/GzdFotqN1K
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
<25%=amount of funding UN has received vs asked for this year for humanitarian response in NE #Nigeria (1/2) pic.twitter.com/TcqMb561ky
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
I've never, in South Sudan, Iraq etc, seen UN be panacea, but here in Nigeria, if they don't get more $ now, more kids will die. (2/2)
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
Nigerian government's comment on why they UN should not declare "level 3" emergency in NE (triggering deployment of more staff, resources) pic.twitter.com/HuUn0HAMjz
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
Bc my story was short, here's more of Nigerian VP's office comment to me on NE #Nigeria pic.twitter.com/pZkw73sOAo
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
Out-takes fr reporting on NE #Nigeria: from aid org head in #Abuja re relations btw international community & Nigeria, how that affects aid pic.twitter.com/YT40lyuNki
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
“There is no good reason why kids r dying of hunger in NE #Nigeria”-@MSF.They+ @ICRC=only 2 aid groups moving by road in Borno 2 reach needy
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
*Should note UN agencies w Nigerian mil escort taking food by road in Borno, but not staff authorized 2 deliver it, they come by helicopter
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
2: #of helicopters UN has in #Nigeria's Borno state,1/2 size of England,2 get food/drugs to people who can't get to state capital 2 seek aid
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
UN had only 1 helicopter in Borno state until this week.
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
Found this,dated November '15,in UN office yesterday; the # of 2.5m is up to 4.5m now. (People needing food now) pic.twitter.com/2K14OYJybH
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
Compare how USAID describes its support 2 South Sudan vs Nigeria;no mention in main website description of NE crisis pic.twitter.com/0zs1ZApgsg
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
DFID doing more, re aid to NE Nigeria crisis, but still giving more to South Sudan than Lake Chad despite higher #s in need in Lake Chad pic.twitter.com/j5CsIldqcg
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
More out-takes:a senior aid official compares working in S Sudan in crisis vs NE Nigeria in crisis. Aid response here is a tragic joke. pic.twitter.com/cWkueOE1wd
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
There is a food emergency in NE #Nigeria & the World Food Programme and UNICEF in #Abuja do not have country office heads.
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
Here's link on @FT: https://t.co/WLrWtGKt9u pic.twitter.com/vH7OsTCUrU
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
#pt: UN has known horrific scale of NE #Nigeria emergency since April, yet media were also late in reporting on extent of crisis. (1/2)
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
#pt: @NellWhitehead's @TheEconomist report last month was 1 of the first big reports on spiraling emergency in NE #Nigeria (2/2)
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
ICYMI, read @NellWhitehead 's report from Bama, NE #Nigeria from last month: https://t.co/0fmjKOi3LP via @TheEconomist
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
Maybe obvious to all Nigerians & anyone who lives here, but for newly arriving aid workers & UN, the SCALE of this emergency is shocking
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
The numbers, the quantity, are almost unheard of for aid workers, UN officials who have previously worked in Iraq, S Sudan, Afghanistan…
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
There are currently, >1 MILLION ppl with severe acute malnutrition in NE Nigeria, >2 MILLION cut off from any aid at all
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
Easy to get tired or confused by numbers, but in NE #Nigeria crisis, the #s speak 2 how scandalous the slow/inadequate response is
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
Diplomat in #Abuja told me President Buhari signed off on visas 4 WFP head,others b4 going 2 UNGA, so hopefully these ppl will get here soon
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
World Food Programme established an office in Nigeria in April;bc its registration w govt takes time, their presence has so far been limited
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
WFP has been distributing food, but the man appointed 2 lead the country office has had to stay outside country except 4 1 visit in July
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
Some experienced aid workers here 2 assess aid response in NE #Nigeria warn that reform of food distribution in Maiduguri badly needed
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
In other words, if UN etc scaled up w/no change in distribution of food in camps & host communities, the new $ etc may not make a difference
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
.@RMAjayi As Nigerians and foreigners working on NE crisis keep telling me, Nigeria has not seen such a crisis in their lifetimes
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
NE #Nigeria humanitarian crisis: position of UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator has been vacant since May, when Fatma Samoura (1/5)
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
Fatma Samoura began UN Resident & Humanitarian Coordinator job in Feb'16, was ill, chaired only 2 Humanitarian Country Team meetings (2/5)
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
Since Fatma Samoura named FIFA Sec-Gen in May,UN Resident & Humanitarian Coordinator job filled by UN bureaucrat in "acting"/temp role (3/5)
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
The acting UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator farewell party in #Abuja was on Thursday (4/5)
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
Who is in charge of UN's humanitarian response in #Nigeria now? Another acting person? (5/5)
— Maggie Fick (@MaggieFick) September 24, 2016
Evidently, the Boko Haram crisis we had on our hands has given way to a different kind of crisis- one that will still end in millions of deaths if we continue to let it spiral out of control.
Let this serve as a clarion call to everyone- Nigerians, aid agencies, Federal Government of Nigeria and the United Nations to step into the breach. North East Nigeria needs our help to make it.
Leave a reply