Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), yesterday donated relief materials to flood victims and the vulnerable persons in Edo state.
Presenting the items on behalf of the Director General, NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed; the Director, Planning, Research and Forecasting, Fatima Kassim, said the items were meant to cushion the effects of flood on victims as well as the vulnerable.
“The donated items are in two categories. The first category is for the vulnerable as approved by the president while the second category is for those affected by flood in the three local governments in the state.
“I want to crave the indulgence of the Edo State governor that the items be immediately shared the for those affected by the recent flood in the state.”
She said the items for flood victims included rice, beans, maize, salt, vegetable oil, seasoning cubes, tin tomato, mats, mosquitoes net, toilets soap, guinea brocade, children and men’s wears.
On the other hand, he said the vulnerable included maize, sorghum and garri.
Receiving the items on behalf of Governor Godwin Obaseki, his Deputy, Philip Shaibu, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to muster the political will to dredge the river Niger as the only solution to the perennial flooding across the country.
“Beyond the federal, state governments or individuals always coming for the rescue, providing shelter or given food for the victims I think we should look for permanent solution and that solution that is the dredging of the River Niger,” he said.
According to him, until the river Niger was dredged, the nation would have to continually provide relief materials for the victims, saying dredging would drastically reduce the impact of the flood as only the normal flood would happen in the country.
“While we thank the president for coming to the aid of flood victims, he needs to go beyond this, and we would thank him more if before he leaves office, he gets real expert and not just contract for the contractors to dredge River Niger,” he added.
While assuring that the items would be distributed to the victims, he said there was hunger in the land and it required collective responsibility of all to deal with it.
“On behalf of the Edo State government, Governor Godwin Obaseki and people of the state, I thank Mr. president for the items and for us as a state, we would continue to collaborate and partner with the federal government because government is one,” he said.
