Climate Change impacts: Nigeria ranks 2nd out of 163 countries – Report

From Agaju Madugba, Katsina

According to UNICEF, “children in ‘extremely high risk’ countries face a deadly combination of exposure to multiple climate and environmental shocks combined with high levels of underlying child vulnerability, due to inadequate essential services, such as water and sanitation, healthcare and education.”

The report also indicated that more than 1.5 million children are at risk as devastating floods hit parts of the country.

“More than 2.5 million people in Nigeria are in need of humanitarian assistance – 60 per cent of which are children – and are at increased risk of waterborne diseases, drowning and malnutrition due to the most severe flooding in the past decade.

 “The floods which have affected 34 out of the 36 states in the country, have displaced 1.3 million people while over 600 people have lost their lives and over 200,000 houses have either been partially or fully damaged.

“Cases of diarrhoea and water-borne diseases, respiratory infection, and skin diseases have already been on the rise.

“In the north-eastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe alone, a total of 7,485 cases of cholera and 319 associated deaths were reported as of 12 October.

“The floods are adding another layer of complexity to an already precarious humanitarian situation in the country. “Immediate priority needs for children include health, water, sanitation, and hygiene as well as shelter and food.

“Additional funding and resources are required to respond to growing needs and to sustain ongoing humanitarian interventions, with a focus on the most vulnerable, including children with disabilities,” the report said.

Reacting to the report, the UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, noted that children and adolescents in flood-affected areas are in an extremely vulnerable situation, adding that, “they are particularly at risk of waterborne diseases and emotional and psychological distress.”