The World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations says that the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to the loss of 13 million jobs in Nigeria.
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, the agency said.
The Senior Spokesperson of the WFP, Elisabeth Byrs, said in a statement on Wednesday that more than $182 million 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 and that the figure could rise to 13 million if the restriction on movements persist for long.
“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,” local media reports on Thursday quoted Byrs as saying.
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 said 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 said.
According to Byrs, the job losses will further increase hunger, which is why it is supporting vulnerable citizens in Nigeria.
GIK/APA