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…relief materials will be equitably distributed to victims – ALGON Chairman

The Government of Enugu State has donated relief materials worth over ₦80 million to victims of flood and other disasters in the state stressing 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.

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This was even as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) also 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.

Presenting the items to the State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, at Government House, Enugu, Monday, the Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Ngozi Echeazu, who represented the NEMA Director-General, Mustapha Ahmed Habib, stated that, “the relief intervention by the Federal Government through NEMA is not a compensation, but rather a fulfilment 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 .”

Echeazu who was represented by a management staff of the agency, Amaka Chidi-Aroh, further noted that, “Upon the escalation of the 2022 flood disaster, the NEMA South East Zonal Office carried out damage/need assessment in 6 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”.

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According to her, the relief materials which included livelihood items were expected to help the affected persons stand on their feet and return to normal life.

The Zonal Coordinator reminded members of the public of the recent unpredictable weather conditions, saying, “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.”

Echeazu added that, “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.”

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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.

The Zonal Coordinator also appreciated the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Local Government Chairmen, the Ag. Executive Secretary, Enugu SEMA, Mrs Chinasa Mbah, her staff, all NEMA line ministries/stakeholders including security agencies and voluntary organizations for their active collaboration with NEMA.

Speaking shortly after receiving the items, the State Governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Chidiebere Onyia, commended NEMA for its patnership with Enugu state government.

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He said that the state government’s patnership with NEMA had always yielded posetive results and will be a continuous collaboration.

Governor Mbah disclosed that the data from NEMA had also assisted the state government in its planning. He added that the support will help in rebuilding the victim’s economic base.

The Governor 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, said that the items presented were for the 2022 flood victims. She disclosed that a lot of communities were affected, houses and farmlands destroyed and some lost their lives in the 2022 flood disaster.

Chinasa assured that the items would complement the ones already provided by the state government and would be properly distributed to make sure they get to the affected victims. “SEMA will monitor the distribution”, she said.

Receiving the items from SEMA, the chairman of ALGON, Hon. Edeh, said that they will go to the Local Government Areas, and set up a committee for the distribution of the materials to the affected persons.

The committee, according to him, would be made up of stakeholders and priests who would go to the different communities and reach out to the affected persons.

Edeh further assured that there will be accountability and transparency in the distribution of the items to the victims.

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).