Enugu State Government, Monday, August 14, 2023, received humanitarian relief materials from the National Emergency Management Agency,NEMA, for the persons/ communities affected by 2022 flood disaster.
Presenting the items to the state Governor , Dr Peter Mbah at Government House, Enugu, the Zonal Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),Ngozi Echeazu, who represented the NEMA Director-General Mustapha Ahmed Habib said that ,”the relief intervention by the Federal Government through NEMA is not a compensation, but rather a fulfilment of the Federal Governments 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 .”
Represented by a management staff of the agency, Amaka Chidi-Aroh, Echeazu
recalled that , “upon the escalation of the 2022 flood disaster, the NEMA South East Zonal Office carried out damage/need assessment in 6 (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, damages caused, needs of the affected communities and appropriate recommendations was 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”.
According to her, the relief items which included livelihood materials were expected to help the affected persons stand on their feet and return to normal life.
Pix-NEMA representative ,Amaka Chidi-Aroh handing over the items to Enugu state government
The Zonal Cordinator 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 noted 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.”
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 thanked the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Local Government Chairmen, the Ag. Executive Secretary, Enugu SEMA , 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.
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 helped the state government in planning. He added that the support will help in rebuilding the victim’s economic base . The governor noted that the items received were not compensation.
The Governor expressed confidence in the credibility of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria( ALGON) ,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 destroyed, farmlands destroyed and some lost their lives in the 2022 flood disaster.
Mbah assured that the items must be properly distributed to make sure they get to the affected victims. “SEMA will monitor the distribution”, the governor said.
Receiving the items from SEMA, the chairman of ALGON,Enugu state chapter, Hon. Okechulwu 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, will be made up of Stakeholders, and Priests, who will go to the communities and get the affected persons.
Edeh assured that there will be accountability and transparency in the distribution of the items to the victims.
Items 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 300 cartons of spaghetti (475gx20) cartons of tomato paste (50 sachet per cartons) bags of iodized salt (1kg pack x 20 kg), 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 (50kg), 2x4x12 planks , 2x3x12 planks, 400 bundles of roofing sheets , nail, zinc nails, ceiling board Livelihood Items, grinding machine xxix. 150 pieces of water pumping machine (3 inch),sewing machine (butterfly or equivalent) .
Author: Maureen Ikpeama