The Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, MNDA, has flagged off presentation and handing over of relief materials to the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, for onward distribution to victims of last year’s flood in Akwa Ibom State.
In his opening remarks, during the exercise, the Honourable Minister, Mr. Umana Okon Umana, who was represented by the Commissioner representing Akwa Ibom State in NDDC, Dr. Emem Wilcox Wills, lauded President Mohammadu Buhari for his genuine love and empathy for victims of flood in the region especially Akwa Ibom state, saying “I want to express my profound appreciation to President Mohammadu Buhari, for his kind gesture by identifying with the plight of Niger Delta people.
The Honourable Minister noted that “communities in the Niger Delta are often the worst hit by flood in the country because of its topography and location. Consequent upon this ugly situation, President Mohammadu Buhari, in his concern and love for the people of the Niger Delta region, approved that relief materials should be given to flood victims in the states of the Niger Delta to alleviate the loss that came with the flood. This is in addition to earlier assistance to affected states”.
Umana further commended the president for deeming it fit to alleviate the plight of Akwa Ibom people, reasoning that although “no amount of relief provided by government can replace the losses as a result of the flood however, it is our candid belief that the relief items will alleviate the burden currently borne by the people.”
He also stated that this gesture is not just the physical presentation of materials rather it represents the empathy and compassion of federal government towards the people.
He revealed that relief materials approved for the people are in four categories including social relief care packs such as mattresses, pillows, blankets, cooking pots and others; nutritional care packs such as cartons of noodles, bags of rice, bags of beans and others; livelihood items such as grinding machines, seeing machines, hair clippers and others. Also included are building materials such as bags of cement, roofing sheets, ceiling boards and others.
The minister assured the people of Akwa Ibom state “that these distribution exercise is the first phase; the implementation of the second phase will also commence very soon once this phase is concluded. Hence, my candid appeal for your orderly cooperation during the distribution of the items.” He said.
He charged that relief materials should be meticulously distributed in all the identified local government areas of the state to forestall diversion or any irregularity. According to him, before distribution of the materials, communities and local government areas highly impacted by the flood were indentified by National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, through the needs assessment they conducted after the flood.
“These communities and local government areas have been earmarked to be given these relief items in order to rehabilitate the people. The palliatives will be handed over to NEMA for onward distribution to beneficiaries as identified in affected communities and local government areas.”
Accordingly, he pledged that government officials and security personnel have been assigned to monitor the distribution exercise to ensure that these items are given to those which they are meant for. He therefore thanked all government agencies involved in the exercise for their effective collaboration, which contributed to the success of the presentation and handing over of relief materials to flood victims in Akwa Ibom state.
High point of the event was the official handing over of relief materials to NEMA by the Director of Press, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Mrs. Patricia Deworitshe, after she had taken representative of the minister, Dr. Emem Wills and other officials of MNDA, NDDC, NEMA and SEMA around to assess the relief materials.
