By Emmanuel Kwada
The Chairman of the Network of Adamawa Non-Governmental Organizations (NANGO), Peter M. Egwudah, has called for collective action to address the humanitarian crisis in Adamawa State.
Speaking at the World Humanitarian Day event held in Government House, Yola, Egwudah highlighted the specific context of the crisis in Adamawa State, including erratic climatic conditions, influx of refugees from Cameroon, displaced persons, insurgency, economic hardship, and poverty.
He commended the Adamawa State Government for providing an enabling environment for humanitarian and development actors to operate and appreciated the support of the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in facilitating the establishment of NANGO.
Egwudah noted that NANGO has grown from 7 members in 2017 to over 150 registered member organizations operating in different thematic working groups and sectors across the 21 Local Government Areas in the State.
He expressed gratitude to the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mohamed Malick Fall, for providing leadership support to national NGOs and acknowledged the UN’s drive for localization, inclusion, participation, transparency, and accountability.
Egwudah cited statistics from the People in Need Severity Report, showing 7.9 million people in need within the BAY State, with over 80% being women and children.
He also mentioned the arrival of 1,546 asylum seekers from Cameroon in June 2022, which has risen to 33,000 in May 2024.
Transfer expertise, knowledge, and skills to communities
He called on governments, MDAs, UN agencies, donor agencies, NGOs, multilateral and bilateral agencies, and community leaders to work together to protect lives and provide support to reduce the suffering of the affected population.
Egwudah emphasized the need to achieve the localization agenda, transfer expertise, knowledge, and skills to communities, and move from life-saving humanitarian action to sustainable stabilization and durable solutions in the State.
