2024 www.unicef.

org/appeals/nigeria

Humanitarian
UNICEF/2023/AnikeAlliHakeem

Action for
Children
Hauwa Modu holds her stepson Babagana in Ngala, northeast Nigeria. Through the UNICEF-supported nutrition programme there, she
was able to nurse the malnourished baby back to health.

Nigeria
HIGHLIGHTS IN NEED

Armed conflict in northeast Nigeria continues to adversely affect the lives and prospects of 8.7 4.5
7.7 million people,1 60 per cent of them children.2 This is down slightly from the 8.3 million
people impacted in 2022. Two million of those affected are internally displaced. Additionally, million million
474,000 people in the country's northwest and 489,0003 in Benue State have been
displaced due to armed violence, including farmer-herder violence. These crises contribute
people4 children5
to food and nutrition insecurity and lead to child protection risks. Compounding this are
flooding, childhood illnesses, disease outbreaks and the lack of adequate WASH facilities –
all affecting children's ability to realize their rights to survive and thrive.

UNICEF will address these challenges through a multisectoral response and an integrated
intervention package. A gender-inclusive durable solutions lens will be incorporated into
programme design; and the feedback of affected people sought and addressed. 2020 2024
UNICEF requires $214.7 million to deliver integrated nutrition, WASH, health, child
protection and education assistance to 4.8 million people in Nigeria, including 3.4 million TO BE REACHED
children in need. This includes $100 million for nutrition support, $40 million for education
and $28 million for WASH interventions.
4.8 3.4
million million
KEY PLANNED TARGETS people6,7 children8
3.2 million 861,685
children and women children with severe
accessing primary health wasting admitted for
care treatment 2020 2024

FUNDING REQUIREMENTS
259,000 866,486 US$214.7
children/caregivers people accessing a
accessing community- sufficient quantity and million
based mental health and quality of water
psychosocial support
Figures are provisional and subject to change upon finalization of the inter-agency planning documents.

2020 2024
1
 HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND NEEDS SECTOR NEEDS17
An estimated 3 million people (59 per cent children) are internally displaced in Borno,
Adamawa and Yobe States in Nigeria's northeast; Sokoto, Zamfara and Katsina States in the 2.2 million
northwest; and Benue State in north-central Nigeria. The proportion of displaced people living people in need of
in camps is 45 per cent in the northeast;10 12 per cent in the northwest; and 38 per cent in nutrition assistance18
Benue State. Displacement is primarily due to protracted armed conflict in its fifteenth year in
the northeast, armed violence (banditry and abduction) in the northwest and climate-related
clashes between farmers and herders in the country's Middle Belt. A multsectoral needs
1.2 million
assessment published in early 2023 for the three northwestern states highlighted WASH, children in need of
shelter and education as prioritized needs. The humanitarian crises and government protection services19
returnees programme raise urgent concerns about the needs of children affected by conflict,
including grave violations, gender-based violence and related child protection needs.11,12,
 9
In the northeast, all nine formal camps for internally displaced persons around Maiduguri, the
900,000
capital of Borno State, were closed by the Government and 160,000 people relocated to more children in need of
remote areas. Yet 293 camps across the three affected states remain open,13 and access to school20
displacement in informal camps or among host communities continues in Maiduguri.
Polio, diphtheria and cholera continue to affect children in Nigeria. Cholera is endemic, with 3 million
2,860 suspected cases (with a 2.9 per cent case fatality rate)14 in 2023. A diphtheria outbreak
centred in the northwestern state of Kano had recorded 9,486 confirmed cases in 2023 as of
people lack access to
12 October. Notably, 60 per cent of cases are among unvaccinated children, highlighting the hygiene promotion
humanitarian consequences of development-related vulnerabilities.
Climate-related disasters are taking a toll, including flooding, which heavily impacts southern
Nigeria. In late 2022, the country experienced the most severe flooding in a decade, with 4.4
million people affected, including 2.6 million children. Some 2.4 million people were
temporarily displaced due to flooding and sought refuge in makeshift shelters, including in
schools and health facilities, which adversely affected the continuity of basic services.
Around 2.6 million children suffered from severe wasting in 2023 – a near-doubling of the
severe wasting burden compared with 2022, when 1.4 million children were affected.
Compared with 2022, the northeast saw a 68 per cent increase in admissions of severely
malnourished children with medical complications,15 partly due to a measles outbreak that
claimed 50 lives. In the northwest, while malnutrition rates decreased in Katsina State in 2023,
a large part of Sokoto State recorded emergency levels of severe wasting.16 Additionally,
access to clean water and sanitation is deteriorating; and hostilities continue to disrupt
education, with approximately 90 schools closed in the northeast.

STORY FROM THE FIELD

Hauwa Modu is at the UNICEF-supported
camp for internally displaced persons in
Ngala, caring for baby Babagana, who
suffers from severe malnutrition. There
are many children with malnutrition in the
camp, which serves more than 40,000
displaced people. Hauwa's second visit
shows Babagana's improvement, thanks
to the clinic's nutrition programme and the
delivery of ready-to-use therapeutic food
(RUTF). The clinic's policy ensures that
RUTF reaches those in need.
With support from UNICEF and the
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development
Office of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland, the camp
offers RUTF, medication and training for
caregivers. Hauwa, a mother of eight,
cares for four stepchildren, including
Babagana, demonstrating her dedication
to their well-being.
UNICEF/2023/Mari

Read more about this story here

Hauwa Modu stands with her children and stepchildren in Ngala, northeast Nigeria.
2
HUMANITARIAN STRATEGY21,22,23 2024 PROGRAMME TARGETS24
UNICEF will provide humanitarian assistance to people in Health (including public health emergencies)
need, prioritizing conflict-affected children and women in
1,095,342 children vaccinated against measles,
Nigeria’s northeast (Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States), as supplemental dose
well as violence-affected people in the northwest (Katsina, 3,213,309 children and women accessing primary health
Sokoto and Zamfara States) and north-central regions care in UNICEF-supported facilities
(Benue State). And UNICEF will further engage in Jigawa
State for emergency preparedness. Response in other Nutrition25
states will be based on sudden-onset needs (e.g., climate- 1,800,000 children 6-59 months screened for wasting
related disasters and infectious disease outbreaks). 861,685 children 6-59 months with severe wasting
admitted for treatment
In the northeast, UNICEF will serve as the provider of last
898,114 primary caregivers of children 0-23 months
resort and ensure sector leadership in nutrition, WASH, receiving infant and young child feeding counselling
education and child protection. In coordination with the Inter- 461,030 children 6-59 months receiving micronutrient
Sector Coordination Group, UNICEF and partners will powder
leverage the Rapid Response Mechanism to scale up 328,517 pregnant women receiving preventative iron
services in areas of high need. supplementation
Working in partnership with authorities, United Nations Child protection, GBViE and PSEA26
agencies and national and international non-governmental
organizations, UNICEF will reach those affected by conflict 259,000 children, adolescents and caregivers accessing
community-based mental health and psychosocial
and other crises. The multisectoral response will prioritize an
support
integrated package of interventions (e.g., nutrition, health
58,000 women, girls and boys accessing gender-based
and WASH or education and child protection), with violence risk mitigation, prevention and/or response
integration of mental health and psychosocial support interventions27
throughout. Social and behaviour change interventions will 113,500 people with safe and accessible channels to
remain a key component. report sexual exploitation and abuse by personnel who
A gender and inclusion lens will be integrated into provide assistance to affected populations
programme design, while affected people’s feedback will be 4,000 children who have exited an armed force and
groups provided with protection or reintegration support
sought and addressed, including via localization of response
1,000 unaccompanied and separated children provided
efforts. Protection from and response to sexual exploitation
with alternative care and/or reunified
and abuse continue to be at the heart of all interventions.
Working along the humanitarian–development–peace nexus, Education
UNICEF will expand its risk-informed and rights- and results- 640,000 children accessing formal or non-formal
based programming. In the north, the focus will be on education, including early learning
government-led preparedness and response via evidence- 640,000 children receiving individual learning materials
based analysis and response planning. Sustaining good 4,081 schools implementing safe school protocols
practices in contingency stock procurement will ensure Water, sanitation and hygiene
readiness. In addition, UNICEF will use humanitarian cash
866,486 people accessing a sufficient quantity and
transfers and shock-responsive social protection, while
quality of water for drinking and domestic needs
strengthening linkages to national systems. 199,157 people accessing appropriate sanitation
UNICEF will provide access to quality treatment for children services
suffering from severe wasting, while integrating prevention 1,840,980 people reached with handwashing behaviour-
activities. These include iron and folic acid supplementation change programmes
for adolescent girls and women and counselling of parents 245,620 people reached with critical WASH supplies
on infant and young child feeding practices and child Social protection
spacing. Health interventions will focus on the timely
30,000 households benefitting from new or additional
response to disease outbreaks. UNICEF’s WASH response
social assistance (cash/in-kind) measures from
will be integrated into health and nutrition services (e.g., by government-funded programmes with UNICEF technical
focusing on WASH facilities in primary health care centres) assistance support
to maximize its impact. UNICEF’s education interventions
will focus on increasing children’s learning via access to Cross-sectoral (HCT, SBC, RCCE and AAP)
formal and informal education. The primary protection focus 55,000 households reached with UNICEF-funded
will be on prevention and response services, especially humanitarian cash transfers (including for social
reintegrating children formerly associated with armed protection and other sectors)
groups, enhancing mental health and psychosocial support 800,000 people engaged in reflective dialogue through
and addressing the needs of unaccompanied and separated community platforms
5,000 people sharing their concerns and asking
children.
questions through established feedback mechanisms

Rapid response mechanism

Progress against the latest programme targets is available in the humanitarian situation
reports: https://www.unicef.org/appeals/nigeria/situation-reports
200,000 people reached via the Rapid Response
Mechanism28

This appeal is aligned with the revised Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Programme targets are provisional and subject to change upon finalization of the inter-agency planning
Action, which are based on global standards and norms for humanitarian action. documents. 3
FUNDING REQUIREMENTS IN 2024
UNICEF urgently appeals for $214.7 million to enable delivery of comprehensive life-saving assistance in nutrition, WASH, health, child
protection and education for children enduring persistent crises in Nigeria. This includes $100 million to provide life-saving assistance to
more than 800,000 children suffering from life-threatening malnutrition.
The humanitarian situation is particularly grim in the northeast, the northwest and in north-central Nigeria. Escalating conflicts and insecurity
resulting from confrontations between non-state armed groups and security forces in the northeast, a deteriorating humanitarian situation in
the northwest related to banditry and abductions and farmer-herder conflicts in the north-central region are driving the difficulties faced by
women and children.
Without this essential financial support, the future of 3.4 million children is uncertain, their survival threatened by health, environmental and
conflict-related crises. Securing this funding is of the utmost importance, because it will enable UNICEF to sustain vital support systems that
can save lives, alleviate ongoing hardships and nurture hope for the children of Nigeria.

8.1%
CHILD 2024 requirements
PROTECTION, 4% Sector
GBVIE AND PSEA OTHER* (US$)
Health (including public health
9.3% 20,000,000
HEALTH (INCLUDING emergencies)
PUBLIC HEALTH
EMERGENCIES) Nutrition 100,000,000
Child protection, GBViE and
46.6% 17,300,00029,30
US$214.7 NUTRITION PSEA
13.0%
WATER, SANITATION
million Education 40,000,000
Water, sanitation and hygiene 28,000,000
AND HYGIENE
Social protection 200,00031
Cross-sectoral (HCT, SBC,
5,200,00032
18.6% RCCE and AAP)
EDUCATION
Rapid response mechanism 2,000,00033
Emergency Preparedness 2,000,00034
Total 214,700,000
*This includes costs from other sectors/interventions : Cross-sectoral (HCT, SBC, RCCE and AAP)
(2.4%), Rapid response mechanism (<1%), Emergency Preparedness (<1%), Social protection
(<1%).

Who to contact for further information:

Cristian Munduate Lana Wreikat June Kunugi
Representative, Nigeria Director, Office of Emergency Programmes (EMOPS), a.i. Director, Public Partnerships Division (PPD)
T +234 9139386883 T +1 212 326 7150 T +1 212 326 7118
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 4
ENDNOTES
1. Preliminary figures from United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Nigeria Humanitarian Needs Overview 2024 (draft).
2. International Organization for Migration (IOM), Displacement Tracking Matrix, IDP and Returnee Atlas 2023, Mobility tracking – Round 45 – North-east
Nigeria June 2023, IOM 19 September 2023, available at <https://dtm.iom.int/reports/nigeria-north-east-mobility-tracking-round-45-idp-and-returnee-atlas-
june-2023>.
3. IOM, North-Central and North-West Zones: Displacement Report March 2023 – Round 11 – Needs monitoring, IOM, 21 March 2023, available at
<https://dtm.iom.int/reports/nigeria-north-central-and-north-west-displacement-report-11-march-2023>.
4. Preliminary figures, OCHA, Nigeria Humanitarian Needs Overview 2024 (draft).
5. Fifty-nine per cent of the preliminary figures in OCHA, Nigeria Humanitarian Needs Overview 2024 (draft).
6. The total number of people to be reached is 4.8 million: 3.2 million women and children (i.e., via primary health care in UNICEF-supported facilities, 72.5
per cent children and 27.5 per cent women); and 500,000 men, representing 49 per cent of the adult population in WASH; and 1.1 million children under 5
years of age to be reached with measles vaccination. The total figure includes an estimated 2,400 people with disabilities. Of the total number of people to be
reached, children represent 70 per cent (or 3.4 million) of whom 37 per cent (1.8 million) are girls. Women represents 19 per cent (900,000) while men
represent 10 per cent (500,000). UNICEF is committed to serving as the provider of last resort where it has sector coordination responsibilities.
7. UNICEF is committed to needs-based targeting, which means covering the unmet needs of children; and will serve as the provider of last resort where it
has cluster coordination responsibilities.
8. Children represent 70 per cent (3,424,991), and of these 37 per cent (1,815,245) are girls.
9. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Improving Participation in North-East Nigeria, November 2022, available at
<www.giz.de/en/downloads/giz2022-en-improving-participation-in-north-east-nigeria.pdf>.
10. IOM, IDP and Returnee Atlas 2023, Mobility tracking – Round 45 – North-east Nigeria June 2023.
11. Some 1.5 million are returnees, and 4.8 million are in host communities or communities affected by conflict. Source: Scope of Analysis section of OCHA,
Nigeria Humanitarian Needs Overview 2023, available at <www.unocha.org/nigeria>.
12. IOM, Nigeria – North-east – Returnees comparison at location Round 44 (April 2023), IOM, 10 May 2023, available at <https://dtm.iom.int/maps/nigeria-
north-east-returnees-comparison-location-round-44-april-2023>.
13. IOM, Site Assessment: Round 44 – Northeast – IDPs, IOM, 10 May 2023, available at <https://dtm.iom.int/datasets/nigeria-site-assessment-round-44-
north-east-idps>.
14. Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Cholera Situation Report: Monthly epidemiological report 08, epidemiological week 31–34: (31 July – 27 August 2023).
15. The centre treats children with severe wasting with medical complications from the internally displaced and host communities.
16. Nutrition SMART Survey Results for northwest Nigeria (Sokoto, Zamfara and Katsina States), Northwest Coordination Forum, 29 September 2023.
17. Preliminary figures, OCHA, Nigeria Humanitarian Needs Overview 2024 (draft).
18. Ibid.
19. Ibid.
20. Ibid.
21. This appeal is aligned with the revised Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action, which are based on global standards and norms for
humanitarian action.
22. UNICEF is committed to supporting the leadership and coordination of humanitarian response through its leadership or co-leadership of cluster
coordination for the WASH, Nutrition and Education Clusters and the Child Protection Area of Responsibility. All cluster coordinator costs are included in
sectoral programme budgets.
23. UNICEF is committed to empowering local responders in humanitarian crises in a variety of ways. The revised Core Commitments made investing in
strengthening the capacities of local actors in the humanitarian response a mandatory benchmark for UNICEF action. A more localized response will improve
humanitarian action and is fundamental to achieving better accountability to affected populations.
24. Beyond the UNICEF targets for these interventions, other humanitarian partners are expected to reach the remaining children/families in need.
25. The increase in the target is due to the worsening malnutrition situation in the northwest. For the calculation, UNICEF focused on violence-affected local
government areas (LGAs) in the states of Katsina (15 LGAs), Sokoto (19 LGAs) and Zamfara (14 LGAs).
26. The reduction in targets compared with 2023 is based on the changing context in the northeast due to camp closures, and the decrease in the number of
people in need from 2.1 million in 2023 to an estimated 1.9 million in 2024.
27. The reduction in targets compared with 2023 is based on the changing context in the northeast due to camp closures, and the decrease in the number of
people in need from 2.1 million in 2023 to an estimated 1.9 million in 2024.
28. The target of people to be reached has increased based on the review of the first-year (2023) achievements and costs, in addition to the shift in 2024 to
partnering with national non-governmental organizations, which has further reduced operational costs.
29. Including $1,086,510 to provide 109,000 children and adults with access to a safe and accessible channel to report sexual exploitation and abuse.
30. Including $835,208 to reach 58,000 targeted women, girls and boys with gender-based violence risk mitigation, prevention or response interventions.
31. This is for 30,000 households to receive new or additional social assistance (cash/in-kind) from government-funded programmes, supported through
UNICEF technical assistance.
32. $4,800,000 is budgeted to reach 55,000 households with UNICEF-funded humanitarian cash transfers (including for social protection and other sectors);
$200,000 is for social and behaviour change activities to reach 800,000 people; and $200,000 is dedicated to achieving targets linked to accountability to
affected populations.
33. The Rapid Response Mechanism is an integrated response approach that covers WASH (access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene), shelter/non-food
items and nutrition responses. UNICEF coordinates the RRM and provides WASH and nutrition assistance.
34. Emergency preparedness costs cover the cost of preparedness activities, including risk analysis, technical support to the Government to strengthen its
early warning systems and related staffing.