By Saby Elemba, in Owerri
The Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, collaborating with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and State Emergency Management Agency, (SEMA) delivered palliatives to the 2022 flood water victims in Imo State.
The programme is part of efforts by the federal government to cushion the hardships, sufferings and effects of the 2022 flood disaster in some parts of country, said Goodluck Nanah Opiah, minister of state for education, who represented the federal government at the flagging off of the the distribution of the relief materials in Owerri, Imo State.
“It is with great pleasure and honour that I welcome you to this occasion as we flag off the distribution of presidential palliative to our people who were affected by the 2022 flood. Even though the flood was predicted by the relevant federal and state agencies, the intensity of the flood was however overwhelming,” Opiah said.
Continuing, he said: “It was the worst flood, the effect was highly destructive, and zeroed the livelihood of the people and the entire ecosystem of the Niger Delta region. Homes, farmlands, and businesses were lost to the flood. Regrettably, Niger Delta is always worse hit by the flood in the country because of its topography and geographical location.”
Opiah further said, “Consequent upon this ugly situation, President Muhammadu Buhari, in his concern and love for the people of the Niger Delta region, approved that relief materials should be distributed to the flood victims in the states of the Niger Delta to alleviate the challenges that came with a flood.
“This is in addition to earlier assistance to the affected states. We are indeed most grateful to the president who deemed it fit to alleviate the plight of our people. We are aware that no amount of relief materials provided by the government can replace the loss brought about by the flood.
Some of the items distributed included building materials, foams and mattresses, kitchen utensils, pillows, sewing machines, grinding machines, bags of rice, soap. And according to Opiah, the palliatives would come in phases but that this was the first phase.
He pointed out that the palliatives were to support the earlier relief items given to the victims of the flood of 2022 by the federal government through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to reduce the hardship brought by the menace.
Opiah urged NEMA and NDDC to collaborate with sole administrators of the flood ravaged local government areas to work out modalities to ensure effective distribution of the items to the victims.
For effective distribution, the minister also urged that the traditional rulers and president general of the affected communities be incorporated in the scheme of things for proper handling.
Ifeanyi Nnaji, representing the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Imo State who also is the head of operations, commended the federal government for remembering the floodwater victims in the country, especially those from the Niger Delta regions.
