The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, has announced $10.5 million dollars in new funding for the flood response in Nigeria.

Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, disclosed this at a news conference at UN headquarters in New York.

Haq said that Schmale announced the funding in a statement to support Nigeria as the country faced unprecedented flooding with more than 4.4 million people affected across the country and 2.4 million displaced.

“This new funding from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund will provide clean water, sanitation, health care, shelter and non-food items for people in the most affected states.

“This will include people affected in the north-east of the country where people are reeling from the combined impact of floods, protracted conflict, rising hunger and a cholera outbreak,’’ he said

Similarly, the deputy spokesperson said Schmale had condemned killing of a staff member of the humanitarian non-governmental organisation Médecins du Monde in Damboa, Borno State.

“On behalf of the United Nations, Schmale conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the aid worker’s family and to her colleagues.

“He also wished a speedy recovery to a pilot working with the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) who was injured in the deplorable attack by an apparently rogue soldier.

“Schmale stressed that all humanitarian staff working in north-east Nigeria deserve our fullest respect for their courage and commitment to stay and deliver life-saving assistance to people in need in often difficult and dangerous circumstances.

“Humanitarian workers must be protected,’’ he said.

Haq said that Schmale lauded the government and the military’s efforts to speedily investigate the Thursday’s incident and urged them to strengthen remedial measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Dantata, Abdulsamad, others raise N1bn for Jigawa flood victims   

Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Dantata, and Abdulsamad Rabiu, the founder of BUA group, on Saturday raised over N1 billion for Jigawa flood victims.

The donations were made in Dutse at the fund raising in support of the 2022 flood victims in the state.

Dantata and Rabiu each donated N200 million, Jigawa State Government N250 million, Gov. Muhammad Badaru, donated N25 million on behalf of himself, family and his company, Talamis Group.

However, Dantata, who was represented by Alhaji Salisu Sambajo, expressed concern over the conditions in which the flood victims found themselves after the disaster.

The philanthropist prayed for those who died during the disaster and sympathised with those who lost their property and crops in the floods.

Similarly, Badaru also expressed appreciation to the teeming donors for their kind gesture and urged the fund raising committee to be equitable and just in the distribution of the palliatives and cash.

The committee Chairman, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, (Wazirin Dutse) and former Minister of Power, thanked individuals and group of companies for supporting the victims.

Other donors included the members of the state and National Assembly as well as Council Chairmen.

Zenith Bank, Jaiz Bank, FCMB, Sterling Bank, GTBANK and Unity Bank were among the financial institutions who made donations. 

New Italian government’s budget to boost spending to fight energy crisis

Italy’s new right-wing government plans to announce some 30 billion euros in new spending on Monday in a budget for next year, mainly focused on curbing the impact of high energy prices while postponing some of its most lavish election promises.

The continued energy crisis, triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, means Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her allies will not be able to make good on their more extravagant electoral campaign promises, including swingeing tax cuts.

“We won’t be able to do everything, all at once. Past attempts to do that have ended in disaster,” Industry Minister Adolfo Urso told La Stampa newspaper on Sunday.

Meloni has already said that roughly two thirds of the additional spending power would be used to help companies and households survive record-high gas and electricity bills. This comes on top of some 75 billion euros splashed out in 2022 to tackle surging energy prices.

The cabinet this month lifted the 2023 deficit target to 4.5% of gross domestic product from a 3.4% forecast made by the previous government of Mario Draghi. But ministers say they will be fiscally prudent, and avoid the budget errors that unseated Britain’s former prime minister Liz Truss.

As a result, campaign pledges by the far-right League party for a generous reform of the pension system have been delayed, and while the budget will include a reduction of the tax burden on labour, large scale income tax cuts have been ruled out.