LAGOS – The United Nations (UN), every year, sets aside August 19th to pay respect to individuals and corporations who are dedicated to selflessly solving the challenges confronting humanity across the world.
This year’s World Humanitarian Day celebration focuses on the significance, efficacy, and positive effects of the thousands of volunteers, professionals, and crisis-affected individuals who provide immediate medical care, shelter, food, protection, water, and other essentials in keeping with the sustainable development goals of the UN.
Its importance in Africa is not neglected, as several humanitarian concerns range from access to good drinking water, waste management, and youth unemployment.
In Nigeria, access to safe and clean water remains a priority as over 86 percent of the population lack access to clean water.
The average Nigerian has access to only nine liters of water daily. Decades of poor water management and misuse have resulted in water contamination worsened by an increased demand due to population growth, industrialisation, and urbanization.
This, in turn, jeopardizes the health of Nigerians, economic and environmental development, and its future.
From statistical data gleaned from the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ report titled, ‘World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision’, Nigeria is anticipated to become the world’s third most populous country by 2050, with over 300 million people. Waste management is one of humanity’s oldest and most persistent problems.
Nigeria currently generates nearly 32 million metric tons of waste annually, with an expected increase to 72.46 million tons by 2025, based on a daily rate of 0.85 kg per capita.
This means that Nigeria’s annual waste generation will nearly equal her crude oil production, estimated to be 89.63 million annually.
According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the country’s unemployment rate remains at 53.40 per cent, with women and youths dominating the statistics. The number of unemployed individuals will continue to rise as unskilled population growth outpaces output growth. As a result, the country misses out on a critical component of economic success.
Women are subjected to social and gender prejudice as a consequence of societal and political power abuse.
It is believed that empowering them would be a game changer for the country’s well-being and environment since they control an increasing proportion of households and constitute the majority of urban and rural dwellers worldwide.
Nigeria would therefore fall short of the UN’s goals for sustainable development unless these highlighted issues are addressed properly. The vulnerability of these population segments necessitates humanitarian intervention, which makes the various intervention initiatives of the Coca-Cola System in Nigeria worthy of celebration.
