IOM Releases Over US$1.8m To Support Flood Victims Across Nigeria

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said it is releasing more than US$1.8 million to address the urgent needs of people affected by floods across Nigeria.

According to a statement issued yesterday by the organisation’s media unit, the funding will enable local and international non-governmental organisations to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to more than 180,000 people in the Borno, Benue, Adamawa, and Yobe states.

IOM Nigeria chief of mission and interim, Paola Pace, said, “The dramatic flooding we are witnessing this year has devastated countless communities, displacing families and disrupting lives”.

“Our priority is to ensure immediate relief and support is provided to those affected, ensuring they have access to essential services and the resources needed to rebuild their lives,” he added.

The response, channelled through the Rapid Response Fund, will include shelter, non-food items, multipurpose cash assistance, protection and water, sanitation, and hygiene services to alleviate their immediate suffering and facilitate their timely recovery.

The statement added that the funding complements existing allocations, including from the Central Emergency Response Fund and the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund, and will further strengthen protection services, including community-based protection services for children and women, prevention and response to gender-based violence in some targeted areas.

Over 1.2 million people have been affected by floods across Nigeria this year, most of them in Borno State, the epicentre of a protracted humanitarian crisis. The floods have created unprecedented destruction, reportedly killing 300 people, destroying hectares of land and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes in search of safety.

The Rapid Response Fund (RRF) is a small grant mechanism that provides rapid humanitarian assistance to communities during external shocks resulting from natural and/or man-made disasters. In Nigeria, the RRF is implemented across Nigeria through the provision of grants to national and international non-governmental organizations, allowing for immediate access to funds for life-saving interventions.

The first round of funding allocations for the flood response, totalling US$ 1,861,189.224, started in August 2024 and was made to the following local and international NGOs: Salient HumanitarianOrganisation (SHO); Solidarités International (SI); Wadata Relief Care Initiative (WRCI); Grassroots Life Saving Outreach (LESGO) and Sheriff Aid Foundation (SAF).

Others include the Global Village Healthcare Initiative for Africa (GHIV Africa), Center for Advocacy, Transparency, and Accountability Initiative (CATAI), GOALPrime Organisation Nigeria (GPON) and Care Aid Support Initiative.