As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase in Nigeria, the United Nations, yesterday, announced that it received 1.2 million euro from the European Union for provision of life-saving tools to tackle the pandemic in Nigeria.
UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, who disclosed this in a statement, yesterday, said: “With these critical funds from the EU, the UN as a whole in Nigeria, is in a better position to do the important work of engaging with communities on how they can prevent the spread of this virus, and also complement the government’s efforts to ensure that healthcare workers can continue the critical work they are already doing to test and treat cases in the country.
Speaking also on the donation, Head of EU’s Humanitarian Office in Nigeria, Thomas Conan, said: “In these trying times, the European Union is maintaining its humanitarian support to the most vulnerable people in Nigeria, where we have funded close to 271.5 million euro (N116 billion) in emergency food aid, shelter, access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation, and basic primary healthcare since 2014.
“With EU funding, UNICEF will be contributing to the efforts underway in the country to contain the spread of the virus and mitigate its effects.
“It will help with the emergency response to identified cases, prevention and preparedness measures for possible future outbreaks in crowded cities and camps for internally displaced persons in Nigeria’s north-east region.”
Source: Vanguardng