Wole Adedeji, Ilorin.
Victims of the 2022 flood in Kwara State at the weekend got relief materials from the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA.
The materials distributed included agricultural inputs, food items, sewing machines, grinding machines, mosquito nets and mattresses.
The distribution was flagged off by the Deputy Governor, Mr. Kayode Alabi on behalf of his principal; Governor, AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq coming on the heels of an earlier warning by him; the governor to citizens of the State
The governor had warned that there would be an upswing in the volume, duration and pattern of rainfall this year which in turn could lead to massive flooding.
The warning was also conveyed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Mrs. Samuel Elizabeth who cautioned that the pending development could be attributed to the effect of climate change on the environment.
She disclosed that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (Nimet) had earlier warned of such devastating flooding stressing that this could mostly manifest in the northern flank of the of State especially, in the communities Kosubosu Local Govrnment Area as well as those lining riverine areas of the Kwara North Senatorial District.
The Permanrnt Seceetary said the governor had called for waste recycling, irrigation system for farmers, and regular advocacy and sensitizations on environmental issues via the media and face-to-face interaction and enforcement.
NEMA, at the presentation of relief materials said Federal Government approved the intervention specifically for people affected by the 2022 flood disasters and those classified as the most vulnerable persons across the country.
The Director General, Mustapha Ahmed represented by Mr. Ephraim Tony, Head of Monitoring and Evaluation reported that the 2022 flood disaster devastated many communities across the country, including Kwara State, saying; “following the flood, search and rescue operations were successfully conducted in several locations where trapped persons were rescued and given necessary care.
“Furthermore, based on the assessments which were jointly conducted by the NEMA and State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs), the federal government approved this special intervention to assist vulnerable persons across the country and those affected by the flood to support their quick return to normalcy.
“A total of 660,884 Households were verified and targeted to benefit from this special intervention across the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT)”, Ahmed stated.
Ends.