From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu
Relief materials worth over N80 million have been donated by the Enugu State Government to victims of flood and other disasters in the state.
This came just as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has partnered with the Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for more relief items for persons and communities affected by the 2022 flood disaster across the local government areas in the state.
The state government while making the donation stated that the relief materials would not only serve as succour but would also help the affected persons to settle down by reactivating their means of livelihoods.
NEMA Director-General, Mustapha Ahmed Habib, who presented the agency items through the Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Ngozi Echeazu, to the state Governor, Peter Mbah, at Government House, Enugu, explained that, “the relief intervention by the Federal Government through NEMA is not a compensation, but rather a fulfillment of the Federal Government’s responsibility to support the welfare and wellbeing of Nigerian citizens wherever they live especially when the capacity of their state and local government authorities are exceeded .”
A management staff of the agency, Amaka Chidi-Aroh, who represented the Zonal Coordinator also noted that, “Upon the escalation of the 2022 flood disaster, the NEMA South East Zonal Office carried out damage/need assessment in six major selected Local Government Areas namely: Enugu South, Enugu East, Nkanu East, Awgu, Udenu and Uzo Uwani to determine the level of the flood disaster, damage caused, needs of the affected communities and appropriate recommendations were made in line with the agency’s mandate to ensure that all affected communities were provided with necessary short, medium and long term support to enable them recover from the disaster.”
She said the relief materials would help the affected persons stand on their feet and return to normal life.
Reminding members of the public of the recent unpredictable weather conditions, the Zonal Coordinator said, “let me use today’s occasion to remind us that recent unpredictable weather conditions associated with climatic variability in Nigeria have aggravated the occurrence of disasters.
“We must therefore constantly evacuate solid wastes that clog drainage systems in our cities and townships, avoid building on flood plains and move to higher grounds whenever there is an early warning on looming flood disaster.
“Disaster management requires a collective effort, hence the calls for concerted endeavours on Disaster Risk Management and enhance collaboration between emergency response providers at community, local, state and federal levels.”
She commended Enugu State Government for it’s uncommon partnership with the Agency and for setting up a Technical Committee on major hazards (erosion and windstorm) in the state for the purpose of ensuring effective disaster management.
Governor Mbah who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, noted that the state government’s partnership with NEMA had always yielded positive results and would be a continuous collaboration.
He disclosed that NEMA’s data had also assisted the state government in its planning, adding that the support would help in rebuilding the victim’s economic base.
He expressed confidence in the credibility of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) Enugu State, led by the Nkanu East local government chairman, Hon. Okechukwu Sydney Edeh, assuring that the items would be properly distributed to the affected persons.
Earlier, the Head, Welfare, Enugu state Emergency Management Agency, Chinaza Mbah, explained that the items presented were for the 2022 flood victims, noting that a lot of communities were affected, houses and farmlands destroyed and some lives lost in the 2022 flood disaster.
Receiving the items from SEMA, the chairman of ALGON, Hon. Edeh, said that they would go to the Local Government Areas, and set up a committee for the distribution of the materials to the affected persons.
Materials presented which were food and non-food items, included bags of rice (10kg), bags of beans (10kg) bags of garri (10kg), kegs of vegetable oil (20 litres), cartons of seasoning cubes, cartons of spaghetti, cartons of tomato paste, bags of iodized salt, while none food items included, pieces of mosquito nets (treated), pieces of blankets, nylon mats, guinea brocades , children’s wear (new), packs of diapers, packets of sanitary pad, cartons of toilet soap, cartons of disinfectant, cartons of OMO detergent.
Others were non-food items, which included cooking pots, cooking stove (standard), building materials, bags of cement, planks, 400 bundles of roofing sheets , nail, zinc nails, ceiling board, livelihood Items, grinding machines, pieces of water pumping machine and sewing machines (butterfly or equivalent).