Nigeria is grappling with a worsening humanitarian emergency, with more than three million citizens currently displaced by flooding, insecurity, and other natural disasters, according to the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Tanko Sununu.
Speaking on Tuesday during the inauguration of the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Flood Management and Response in Abuja, Sununu warned that the combination of natural disasters, violent conflicts, and shrinking donor support was pushing millions into hunger and malnutrition.
“Globally, humanitarian funding is shrinking, and Nigeria is not exempted,” the minister said. “Just a few days ago, the World Food Programme suspended some of its activities, which had supported more than 1.2 million Nigerians with emergency transfers in the North-East. This leaves over 300,000 children at risk of malnutrition, while more than 200,000 are already receiving treatment.”
Sununu revealed that poverty remains unevenly distributed across the country, with northern Nigeria accounting for nearly 65 percent of the poor. Of this figure, 70 percent are smallholder farmers who, he lamented, have lost their farmlands and livelihoods to floods and droughts.
To cushion the hardship, he noted, the federal government had scaled up interventions under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP). Over 5.9 million households — approximately 25 million Nigerians — have so far benefited from N419 billion in conditional cash transfers.
In addition, through the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), smallholder farmers have accessed interest-free loans of N300,000 each to aid recovery from losses.
“These efforts are part of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to ensuring that Nigerians maintain dignity of life despite economic challenges,” Sununu stressed. “With the support of the House of Representatives, we will continue to protect vulnerable households and restore livelihoods.”
Earlier on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, the minister disclosed that more than 2.2 million poor households had been captured under the National Social Register and would soon receive government cash transfers.
Meanwhile, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, has called for stronger legislative measures to address the recurring flood crises devastating Nigerian communities.
Represented by the House Leader, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, Abbas said flooding had gone beyond an environmental issue to become a national economic, social, and humanitarian challenge.
“Every year, thousands of families are displaced, farmlands are submerged, and critical infrastructure is washed away. These tragedies demand deliberate and well-coordinated responses,” the Speaker said.
He charged the committee to identify gaps in Nigeria’s disaster preparedness and propose a roadmap for national resilience, urging collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Ministries of Environment, Water Resources, Works, Housing, and Health, as well as state and local governments.
The Speaker further stressed the need to harness technology, including the Nigerian Space Agency’s satellite imagery, for effective flood mapping and response.
“Flood management requires the concerted involvement of all relevant stakeholders. Only a holistic and coordinated approach will ensure a sustainable response,” he said, while directing the committee to pay special attention to legislative gaps that hinder effective disaster management.
