WFP Nigeria Situation Report #26, 1 - 28 February 2018

Highlights

• During the month of February, both directly and through partnerships, WFP provided food and nutrition assistance to 1.2 million people (95 percent of the plan) through in-kind distributions (68 percent of total intervention) and cash-based transfers (32 percent) in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States.

• Humanitarian agencies have greatly expanded response to the ongoing food security emergency, but most Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and poor households in Borno State and parts of Adamawa and Yobe States remain heavily dependent on assistance.

• Data for the March 2018 Emergency Food Security Assessment (EFSA) has been collected from 8 to 27 of February 2018 in 62 accessible and partially accessible Local Government Areas (LGAs) to provide more insight into the food security situation in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States. The results will feed into the Cadre Harmonise exercise.

Situation Update

• The security situation in Northeast Nigeria remains highly volatile, and has been slightly deteriorating in the past month. As the rainy season is due to start in a month, a potential sustained increase in activity is foreseen before vehicle movements will be restricted.

• On 25 February, the Government of Nigeria (GoN) announced that 110 students remained missing following the 19 February attack by a Non-State Armed Group (NSAG) at an all-girl school in Dapchi town, Yobe State. Prior to the attack, security conditions in Yobe were relatively stable.

• Further security incidents include Improvised Explosive Device (IED) strikes and Person-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (PBIEDS) in the South-East of Maiduguri, a spill over of NSAG activity into Cameroon and tensions in Adamawa State between the herders and farmers.

• The conflict continues to severely disrupt livelihoods and cause high levels of displacement in Northeast Nigeria. In Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe, IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Round XXI identified 1,782,490 individuals as displaced in the affected states, representing a 4.5 percent increase in comparison to December 2017. The increase is a deviation from the downward trend in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) recorded over the last few months. The number of returnees continued to increase: 1,386,229 returnees were recorded, an increase of four per cent compared to December.

• The Joint FEWS NET-WFP Market Monitoring Bulletin for the month of February 2018 found that the steady increases in oil production and export prices have allowed foreign exchange reserves (FOREX) to continue to increase. These indicators, combined with an improved inflation rate are to gradually bringing Nigeria’s economy out of recession. Although the value of the Naira (NGN) remains well below historical levels it has shown slow gains in value in recent months. The bulletin reports also the Nigerian Government announced that rice imports will remain banned for 2018 with the goal of encouraging local production.

• The findings from the Joint Crop Assessment Report indicate that the year progressed with normal rainfall situation across the country. Available evidence showed that the production of cereals may be slightly higher in 2017 compared with 2016. Cases of flooding in 22 states were reported. The variations in output between 2016 and 2017 may be attributed to climate change factors, destabilization and displacement of farmers in the North-Eastern Nigeria by Boko Haram, frequent clashes between crop farmers and pastoralists.

• As the crisis in Cameroon Anglophone regions continues, between 14 and 18 February WFP participated in a Joint Multi-Sector Rapid Needs Assessment conducted in 5 LGAs in Cross River state. Findings show that host communities are overstretched with their resources to continue providing shelter and assistance to the asylum seekers. The assessment report further predicts that this may increase the risks of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), criminality and disease if measures are not taken to intervene. The exercise gave UN agencies and other humanitarian actors a clearer picture of the emergency situation for better preparedness and interventions. UNCHR reports that as at 28 February, the number of registered Cameroonian asylum seekers since October 2017 is over 17,500.