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UN laments poor sanitation at IDPs camp

by Muhammad Sani

By Ndidi Chukwu

The United Nations has expressed worry over poor waste management in Internally Displace Persons (IDPs) camp in Borno State, which may expose the IDPs to more diseases.

The call was made by UN Assistant Secretary General and Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel, Toby Lanzer, during a visit to rural communities in the state.

Mr. Lanzer said he observed that the suffering of some 30,000 people in Bama was as acute, adding that the UN  agencies  and non-governmental  organisations  are increasing  their  footprint  in
the state and  the UN  has  now  reached people  struck  by crisis  in  rural  parts of  the  region.

According to him the  full  extent  of  the  agony  inflicted  on  the people of  the Lake Chad Basin  as  a  result  of  the violence  is still  unknown, but  as  towns  such as  Bama open  to  aid  agencies,
the  absolute destruction Boko Haram  has  left  in its  wake is becoming  clearer.

“Inter-agency teams are currently assessing more hard-to-reach parts of the state.  We  are  increasingly  emphasizing  the relief-development nexus  in a  region  that  suffered from historical  underdevelopment,” the  United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Ms Fatma Samoura explained.

Lanzer said: “Solid waste management  and livelihoods are two of  the most  glaring  needs  in  Maiduguri  despite the  strong  efforts of the State  authorities. He said as  the rainy  season  approaches,  a failure to manage waste will  result  in a public health  crisis and exacerbate human suffering;  at  the same time,  providing  the  youth vocational  training  is the right thing to do today, and can help prevent a deeper crisis emerging tomorrow,”

The  international  humanitarian agencies operating  in Nigeria  plans to provide aid to people in the North-East  of  Nigeria  at  a  cost of  $248  million  for  2016,  yet  is only  12 per cent funded.

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