Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has restated its commitment to partner Kogi State government to put in place a flood response plan ahead of Nigeria’s Meteorological Agency (NIMET) predictions of flooding this year.
This was revealed in a communique issued at the end of a stakeholders’ meeting in Lokoja, at the weekend.
The representative of the UNFPA and Humanitarian Programme Analyst, Dr. Matthew Onoja, urged all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government to work in harmony to own the process, avoid duplication of efforts and resources and attract more partner support for impact.
Onaja, pointed out that the UNFPA remains the foremost Reproductive Health Agency of the United Nations and has been at the forefront of providing support to people in need in crisis-affected areas.
“In 2018 when the federal government declared a flood disaster across four most-affected states by flood (including Kogi), UNFPA was at hand to provide critical life-saving support to the government and people of Kogi state to address the need of women and girls.
“In the aftermath of the 2022 flood that affected nine Local Government Areas of Kogi State, UNFPA embarked on joint missions to Kogi State with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), a sister UN agency.
“With NIMET listing Kogi as one of the red-alert states for 2023 floods, UNFPA affirmed its commitment to the flood response in Kogi State, by supporting the State Government to put in place a contingency plan to adequately mitigate the risk and impact of any flood that may arise.
“With the technical and financial support of UNFPA, the Special Adviser Humanitarian to the Kogi State Governor, Hon. Amina Usman Musa, convened the Kogi State Stakeholders Meeting on the State Humanitarian Preparedness to harmonise the State flood response plan and enlist the support of more partners”, he revealed.
Onoja, reiterated the commitment of UNFPA to ensuring the actualisation of its commitment to achieving family planning and gender-based violence and harmful practices.
According to him, data showed that more than 50 per cent of all maternal deaths and up to 70 per cent of gender-based violence incidences occur in humanitarian and fragile settings.
