United Nations (UN) Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, has paid glowing tributes to aid workers in North East Nigeria as part of events to mark World Humanitarian Day (WHD).

According to him, the humanitarian community in the North East honours aid workers that step up to respond each day to the crisis in the region by providing life-saving assistance to millions of distressed residents.

The theme of this year’s WHD, #ItTakesAVillage, is built upon the metaphor, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ he noted.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says many aid workers have either died, been injured or kidnapped in north-east Nigeria.

In a statement issued on Friday to commemorate World Humanitarian Day, the UN said the challenges have not deterred humanitarian workers from ensuring that aid gets to people who need them.

“Today on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day, the humanitarian community in north-east Nigeria honors all aid workers stepping up to respond each day to the crisis in the region by providing life-saving assistance to millions of women, children and men,” the statement reads.

“World Humanitarian Day also advocates for the safety and security of aid workers, who often work in volatile and unpredictable environments. Since 2016, 35 aid workers have been killed in north-east Nigeria, according to the Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD). Twenty-two have been wounded and 28 kidnapped. So far in 2022, six aid workers have been kidnapped and one has been killed in the region (AWSD).

“The humanitarian crisis has continued unabated in north-east Nigeria, with 8.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance this year, according to the 2022 Humanitarian Needs Overview. The deteriorating food security and nutrition situation is one of the most concerning areas of this crisis.”

Matthias Schmale, UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Nigeria, was quoted as saying: “Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a whole community to help people in need; to provide urgent health care, shelter, food, protection, transportation, security, water and much more.

“Despite the many challenges in this crisis, we should all be immensely proud of the impact humanitarians have in north-east Nigeria. Through our combined effort our humanitarian ‘village’ delivered assistance to five million people last year. That assistance saved countless lives, improved living conditions, and protected the most vulnerable people.

“As we celebrate this day, we must remember that 4.1 million people across the north-east are facing hunger, trying to cope with its dangerous repercussions. We must put them, and all crisis-affected people, at the centre of World Humanitarian Day.”

In a video message, António Guterres, UN secretary-general, said the aid workers who dedicate their lives to assist people represent “the best in humanity”.

Guterres added that “against incredible odds, often at great personal risk, they ease suffering in some of the most dangerous circumstances imaginable”.