The Government of Japan has donated N1.07bn (US $3.5 million) to the United Nations World Food
Programme (WFP) to provide desperately needed food assistance to thousands of internally displaced persons
in Northeast Nigeria.
The funding allows WFP to deliver food to more than 160,000 people in Borno and Yobe States, where the Boko
Haram insurgency has left many people severely food insecure, according to a statement from Japanese
embassy in Abuja.
“We commend the Government and people of Japan for their continued contributions to WFP’s operations in
Northeast Nigeria,” said Ronald Sibanda, WFP Country Director and Representative ad interim in Nigeria.
“This generous contribution from Japan will help WFP continue scaling up its response to reach more families
in the region with food and nutrition support.”
Currently, some 4.7 million people are in dire need of food assistance in the three most conflict-affected states
– Borno, Yobe and Adamawa – a figure that is expected to rise to 5.1 million by June.
“This new assistance is part of Japan’s pledge made at the Oslo Humanitarian Conference on Northeast Nigeria
and Lake Chad Region,” said Sadanobu Kusaoke, Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria.
“The government of Japan is committed to ensure that millions of people in dire need of food in northeast
Nigeria do not go hungry,” he added.
“It is expected that this funding will, in the interim, assuage the suffering of people in the affected states who
are in a near-famine situation.”