UN HUMANITARIAN AGENCY TO SHUT DOWN OPERATIONS IN NIGERIA
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The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) is set to close its operations in Nigeria.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Goshwe, made this known on Wednesday during a Validation Workshop on the Anticipatory Action Framework for Nigeria, held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser in Abuja.
He stated that the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mohamed Fall, had personally informed him of the decision.
Professor Goshwe also lamented the toll of flooding and insecurity on livelihoods across the country and praised UNOCHA for its humanitarian efforts, particularly in the conflict-ridden Northeastern region.
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.
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