Germany offers €5.5m to Covid-19 victims in the northeast and PPE to the Nigeria Police Force

GERMANY has come to Nigeria's assistance with a grant of €5.5m to help support vulnerable people in the northeast of the country where residents suffering from the combined effects of the Boko Haram insurgency and the Covid-19 lockdown.

Across northeast Nigeria, millions of people are living in internally displaced persons camps after being ejected from their homes by Boko Haram insurgents. With the coronavirus pandemic coming on top of this and the Nigerian government introducing a lockdown, economic activity in the area has been totally paralysed, forcing people into destitution.

Coming to the aid of these people, Germany has offered this grant to the residents of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, believed to be the worst affected.  According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, there have been 53 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Borno State with two deaths, one in Adamawa while Yobe has no reported any case yet.

A spokesman for the German embassy in Nigeria said:  “Germany provides an additional €5.5m (N2.2bn) to the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund (NHF) managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Nigeria to continue life-saving aid in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States in the context of the Covid-19 crisis. Ongoing activities include drilling of wells, construction of sanitation facilities, rehabilitation of buildings or construction of shelters for internally displaced persons and other victims of insecurity in the northeast.

“This brings Germany’s contribution to the NHF to a total of €29m since it became operational in May 2017, making Germany a major donor to the NHF over the past three years.”

In addition, Germany also pledged €12m to West Africa Health Organisation and the Economic Community of West Africa States for the purchase of vital medical supplies and laboratory equipment and training measures. Furthermore, Germany is providing the Nigeria Police Force with €20,000 worth of personal protective equipment including hand disinfectants, protective clothing, surface disinfectants, face masks, clinical thermometers and gloves.