Umuahia, May 23, 2023 The Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, in conjunction with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
on Tuesday, began the distribution of the first phase of presidential palliatives to the 2022 flood victims in Abia.
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Umana Okon Umana, handed the palliatives over to NEMA, for onward distribution to the victims, at an event in Umuahia.
In a speech, the minister explained that the relief materials was meant to help alleviate the burden currently faced by the people.
Umana, who was represented by the Director, Infrastructural Development in the ministry, Engr. Azeez Oyeniyi, said that the Niger Delta region was the worst hit by natural disaster because of its topography.
He lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for approving the provision of palliatives out of his concern and love for the people.
The minister said that the provision was in addition to earlier assistance to the affected states.
Umunna emphasised that there was no amount of palliatives provided by the government that could replace the losses caused by the flood.
According to him, the relief materials were in four categories, including social relief care packs, nutritional packs, livelihood items and building materials.
The minister said that the items included mattresses, pillows, blankets, cooking pots, cartons of noodles, bags of rice and beans, grinding machine, sewing machine and cement, roofing sheet and others.
“The materials will be meticulously distributed in all the identified local government areas, so as to forestall diversion or any irregularities.
“This distribution exercise is the first phase, the implementation of the second phase will also commence very soon, once this phase is concluded,” he said.
In a remark, the Minister of State for Ministry of Science and Technology, Chief Henry Ikoh, expressed profound gratitude to President Buhari “for his kind gesture to identify with the plight of the people”.
Ikoh, who was represented by the Commissioner for Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Abia, Chief Dimgba Eruba, recalled that homes, farmlands and businesses in the region were lost to the flood.
He said that the density of the 2022 flood was beyond imagination, even though it was predicted by relevant federal and state agencies.
The Director-General of NEMA, Mr Ahmed Habib, said the agency, had conducted the needs assessment in the affected communities and local government areas.
The director-general, who was represented by Mr Ifeanyi Nnaji, Head of Operations, Owerri Office, NEMA, for Imo and Abia, said that the agency had conducted the needs assessment to identify the affected communities and council areas.
He explained that the assessment was conducted in collaboration with the Abia State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
Habib said that his agency would work with SEMA to fashion out the modalities in ensuring that that the items got to those for whom they were meant.
He promised that the distribution would be strictly monitored to ensure that the items got to the right persons.
Receiving the palliatives on behalf of the state, the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Dr Sunday Jackson, also thanked the Federal Government for alleviating the plight of the flood victims in Abia.
Jackson acknowledged that the palliatives were of special quality, although his agency had been receiving relief materials in the past.
The SEMA boss affirmed that no fewer than 7,374 persons in six local government areas were affected by the 2022 flood.
According to him the six benefiting local government areas are Ukwa East, Ugwunagbo, Ikwuano, Umuahia South, Obingwa and Umunneochi.
