Few weeks to the general elections, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Matthias Schmale, has expressed worry over lingering fuel scarcity and the new naira policy.
This was contained in a statement made available to our correspondent on Thursday.
Schmale, who noted that the Independent National Electoral Commission is doing its best in ensuring free, fair and credible election, said “At the same time, INEC is facing some challenges for instance around logistics, power supply, employing and deploying the right personnel at the right time.”
To this end, the diplomat restated the UN commitment to supporting Nigeria in ensuring peaceful, credible, and inclusive elections.
The commitment was given at the first quarterly briefing of the diplomatic community convened by the Schmale, at the UN House on Wednesday.
The UN resident coordinator expressed concern about some strong statements of intolerance and hate speech across party lines in public space and urged all political parties and their candidates to exercise caution and to adhere to the terms of the peace accord they have signed.
On the UN Strategic Development Cooperation Framework signed with the government of Nigeria, Schmale explained that it was imperative for the UN to support the government in accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Speaking on climate change, the resident coordinator reaffirmed the reality of climate change and its impact in Nigeria and called on the international community to support accelerated climate change adaptation and mitigation measures.
He said “Last year’s devastating flood episodes and the Cholera outbreak have shown that humanitarian crises are not limited to the North-East alone.
“Therefore, we need to support the government in addressing humanitarian challenges outside the North-East.”
