The British Monarch, King Charles III, has written to President Muhammadu expressing his grief over the loss of lives and property following the devastating flood that has swept across different states in the country.
This comes as a recent report by the United Nations Childrenโs Fund (UNICEF) has shown that 2.5 million flood victims in Nigeria are in need of humanitarian assistance, โwhile more than 1.5 million children may face an increased risk of waterborne diseases, drowning and malnutrition following the massive flooding.
In an open letter to the president titled, โA message of condolence from His Majesty the King to the President of Nigeria, King Charles III who acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II said that the United Kingdom stands in solidarity with the country as it recovers from the โtruly terrible events.
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While recalling his visits to Nigeria, King Charles wrote, โI wanted you to know how deeply saddened both my wife and I are to hear of the many people who have lost their loved ones and whose lives have been so dreadfully affected as a consequence of the devastating floods across Nigeria.
He said โHowever inadequate this may be under such tragic circumstances, our most heartfelt sympathy is with all those who have suffered so much, and our thoughts are with those working to support the recovery efforts. I know that the United Kingdom stands in solidarity with Nigeria as you recover from these truly terrible events.โ
The UNICEF report further showed that more than 600 persons have lost their lives to the raging floods, with 1.3 million people rendered homeless and over 200,000 houses destroyed across 34 states.
In a statement unveiled by its Nigeria representative, Cristian Munduate, UNICEF said that 2.5 million people in Nigeria need humanitarian assistance as a result of the floods, โ60 per cent of which are children and are at increased risk of waterborne diseases, drowning and malnutrition due to the most severe flooding.โ
The statement adds that โIn the North-eastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe alone, a total of 7,485 cases of cholera and 319 associated deaths were reported as of 12 October.
Story was adapted from Thisday.
