By Stephen Simon
The Federal Government has announced plans to assume full leadership of humanitarian response operations across the country as the United Nations gradually shifts from its traditional coordinating role to providing technical and strategic support to national institutions.
The transition was unveiled on Tuesday during a joint Humanitarian Transition Planning Workshop in Abuja, where senior officials of the Federal Government and the United Nations began discussions on transferring greater responsibility for the planning, coordination and financing of humanitarian operations to Nigerian institutions.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, said the new arrangement does not signify the withdrawal of international assistance but marks a deliberate shift towards government-led humanitarian coordination. According to him, the United Nations and other development partners will continue to provide technical expertise while Nigeria takes ownership of emergency preparedness, response and recovery efforts.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, also stressed that the transition should not be interpreted as a reduction in support for vulnerable communities. Rather, he explained, the new model seeks to mobilise greater contributions from federal and state governments as well as the private sector to strengthen humanitarian interventions across the country.
The policy shift comes at a time when international humanitarian funding is under severe pressure, compelling many donor agencies to scale back operations worldwide. Nigeria continues to grapple with multiple humanitarian challenges, including insurgency, internal displacement, flooding, food insecurity, climate-related disasters and public health emergencies.
The United Nations has warned that nearly 35 million Nigerians could face hunger this year as shrinking global aid budgets continue to affect humanitarian programmes. The funding shortfall has heightened concerns over the country’s ability to provide adequate assistance to millions of vulnerable people, particularly in the conflict-affected North-East.
Doro said his ministry would work closely with federal and state governments, humanitarian organisations and affected communities to ensure a seamless transition. He added that Nigeria intends to take the lead in developing its 2027 Humanitarian Response Plan, with technical support from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other partners, as part of efforts to build a more sustainable, nationally driven humanitarian syste
