COVID-19 Threatening 13 Million Jobs In Nigeria – United Nations
According to the agency, Nigeria needs urgent financial intervention to boost its economy, as millions of citizens across the country are currently suffering the harsh economic impact of the virus.
WFP’s Senior Spokesperson, Elisabeth Byrs, said in a statement from her agency that more than $182m was needed to sustain life-saving aid to Africa’s most populous country over the next six months.
She explained that over 3.8 million citizens, particularly those in the informal sector, could lose their jobs, adding that the figure could rise to 13 million if the restriction on movements persist for long.
Byrs was quoted as saying,
“We are concerned by conflict-affected communities in North-East Nigeria who already face extreme hunger and who are especially vulnerable. They are on life-support and need assistance to survive.”
The WFP official, however, stated that her organisation was distributing two months worth of food and nutrition assistance in Internally Displaced Persons camps and among vulnerable communities.
She also stated that three million vulnerable individuals in Abuja, Kano and Lagos would also receive assistance from the WFP.
“We are actually scaling up our operations in the North-East to serve more people in response to the new challenges of more food insecurity posed by COVID-19,” Byrs stated.
The WFP noted that job losses would further increase hunger, which was why it was supporting vulnerable citizens in Nigeria.
Jadesola O
Hi, I'm Jadesola and if you've been here a while, you'll know that Ekomiami has always existed without a face. That changes now. I founded this platform in Lagos in 2018, originally as a space for entertainment and celebrity news. Over time and across continents my world grew bigger and so did my curiosity. Today, Ekomiami is what it was always quietly becoming: a home for travel, food, arts, and culture, told through the eyes of someone navigating the world from a very particular vantage point. With a background in content and media production. I write and create about the places I go, the food I find, and the experiences that make travel feel like more than a holiday. You'll find me in Bordeaux wine bars, on Albanian coastlines, in English market towns, and at restaurant tables taking notes between courses. The name "Ekomiami", "Lagos to Miami" has always been about movement, ambition, and showing up somewhere new. Seven years in, I'm stepping out from behind it. Welcome to the journey, properly.
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