The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Borno State Government have launched an emergency food relief operation in Maiduguri, providing hot meals to communities affected by massive flooding that has displaced over 230,000 people in northeast Nigeria.
A statement released on Thursday confirmed that WFP is delivering hot meals to 50,000 of the most severely affected children, women, and men who have lost their homes in what is described as the worst flooding in the region in 30 years. The catastrophic floods occurred after a dam near Maiduguri collapsed due to torrential rains, causing river waters to inundate 50 percent of the city. In response, the Borno State Government issued evacuation orders and appealed for humanitarian aid.
WFP’s Country Director and Representative, David Stevenson, stated, “Maiduguri is facing a crisis within a crisis, with conflict, record food price inflation, and now floods displacing hundreds of thousands of people, most of whom were already cut off from their farms.”
WFP has established food kitchens in three camps—Teachers’ Village, Asheikh, and Yerwa—to provide meals over the next two weeks, serving nutritious rice and beans. Additionally, specialized foods are being distributed to children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers to meet their nutritional needs. However, further assistance will be crucial to restore stability and support recovery efforts.
In a rapid response, WFP deployed UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) helicopters for an aerial assessment of the damage in Maiduguri and surrounding areas. The assessment highlighted urgent needs for food, shelter, and clean water among the affected population. Stevenson emphasized the dire situation, noting, “What we have seen from the air is just terrible. Thousands of people are on the streets or staying with friends and relatives. The city has been hit by massive destruction to properties and livelihoods. We need urgent global support to save lives.”
According to WFP, over 800,000 people in 29 Nigerian states have been impacted by floods as of September 2024, with more than 550,000 hectares of cropland submerged. The March 2024 Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis indicates that 32 million people across Nigeria are facing acute hunger. To continue support for flood-affected individuals in Maiduguri and other food-insecure populations in the northeast for the next six months, WFP urgently requires $147.9 million.
