The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) is set to cease operations in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Goshwe, confirmed the development on Wednesday during a Validation Workshop on the Anticipatory Action Framework, held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser, Abuja.
According to Goshwe, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mohamed Fall, had informed him about the decision.
Professor Nantawe, who decried the impact of flood disasters and insecurity on livelihoods in Nigeria, commended UNOCHA for its interventions in the country, especially in the conflict-affected Northeastern states.
He described as unfortunate the decision by the UNOCHA to pull out of Nigeria in the face of daunting humanitarian challenges still experienced across the country.
However, Professor Goshwe reaffirmed the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to tackling the menace of Floods and other disasters in the country.
Earlier, the United Nations’ emergency and disaster response agency said it would reduce its global workforce by 20% and scale back operations in nine countries, as it confronts a severe funding crisis and escalating global needs.
In a letter to staff shared on the agency’s website on Friday, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) head Tom Fletcher outlined “brutal cuts” driven by a nearly $60 million funding shortfall for 2025, compounded by rising humanitarian demands.
OCHA will withdraw from or adjust operations in Cameroon, Colombia, Eritrea, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey, and Zimbabwe, and aim to prioritize “dynamic and full responses” in remaining locations where it operates.
The agency plans to lay off approximately 500 staff members from its workforce of about 2,600 employees across over 60 countries with a more concentrated presence in fewer locations, according to Najwa Mekki, director of communications at OCHA citing a separate letter Fletcher wrote.
The cuts follow months of austerity measures, including a hiring freeze and travel restrictions, which saved $3.7 million.
“The humanitarian community was already underfunded, overstretched and literally, under attack. Now, we face a wave of brutal cuts,” Fletcher wrote, emphasizing that the reductions stem from financial constraints rather than diminished needs.
AFP
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