President Bola Tinubu has authorized the creation of a new Disaster Relief Fund to bolster Nigeria’s humanitarian response infrastructure, Vice President Kashim Shettima said Thursday.
This was announced by Mr. Shettima at the Presidential Villa in Abuja at the Humanitarian Supply Chain Management – Partnership for Localization Project launch.
Ibrahim Hadejia, the deputy chief of staff to the president (office of the vice president), represented the vice president.
Mr. Shettima clarified that the fund will supplement the larger localization framework and offer catastrophe victims across the country rapid help.
The consequence of not tackling these challenges at their core will be catastrophic, and inaction is just not an option.
“Localization is the key to a more inclusive, resilient future for Nigeria; it is not just about putting local actors at the center of humanitarian efforts,” the vice president stated.
According to Mr. Shettima, the program aims to empower local actors and make use of local resources in order to meet the nation’s expanding humanitarian needs. It is in line with the Nigeria Localization Framework.
He claimed that the country’s complicated humanitarian situation has gotten worse due to climate change and international economic issues.
The significance of a cooperative approach to humanitarian assistance was previously highlighted by Mohammed Ahmed, the president’s special assistant on special tasks, emergency, and logistics (office of the vice-president).
A whole-of-government and whole-of-society strategy is required. He clarified that inclusive and participatory governance is necessary to guarantee that all opinions from all facets of society are heard.
Mr. Ahmed added that by assisting Nigeria’s localization framework, the initiative would provide a platform for the agenda’s advancement.
He went on to say, “We have a lot of work to do to meet Nigeria’s targets on this.”
Additionally, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) declared that it had allocated roughly 27% of its funds to organizations led by Nigeria in an effort to shift aid operations in the nation to local control.
According to Alexis Taylor-Granados, USAID’s Acting Deputy Mission Director, cooperation and partnership are necessary for long-lasting change.
“We have reaffirmed our commitment to handing over leadership to local individuals and organizations that are most qualified to spearhead change in their own nations and communities,” he stated.
(NAN)
