Nigeria Seeks More Assistance From UN

Nigeria has requested for more capacity building assistance from the Union Nation to address humanitarian challenges.

Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made the statement yesterday when he received in audience, the UN Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos.

He said the assistance was necessary to complement the Federal Government’s efforts at addressing various humanitarian challenges.

“We need a coordinated strategy for addressing humanitarian issues although government has established the National Emergency Management Agency.

“Training to update their knowledge is critical to its operation, so we will need a lot of assistance in the area of capacity building from the UN,” he said.

Uhomoibhi identified flooding, desertification and climate change as some of the ecological challenges responsible for humanitarian problems.

He said that ethnic conflicts in parts of Nigeria and recent developments in Cote d’Ivoire had created a situation of internally displacement of persons in the West African Sub-region.

He said the impact of the Ivorian civil war had led to humanitarian crises in neighbouring states of Liberia and Burkina Faso.

“This has paved way for more border related crimes and proliferation of small arms in the region, he said.

Uhomoibhi said that ECOWAS, under the chairmanship of President Goodluck Jonathan, would address the crisis through diplomacy.

In her remark, Amos said that the UN would continue to partner with Nigeria in addressing humanitarian challenges.

According to her, the UN has identified drought, poverty challenges and security as some reasons for internally displacement in the sub-region.

She said the UN had also been providing assistance to displaced persons in Plateau and Nassarawa State.

She promised that a UN Humanitarian office would soon be established in Nigeria to forge the partnership and commended Nigeria for contributing to UN peace keeping operation in the region.