The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Tuesday began the distribution of relief materials to victims of flood and windstorm in seven local government areas of Abia.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that rain wreaked havoc in 22 communities in Arochukwu, Umuahia North, Umuahia South, Aba North, Osisioma, Obingwa and Ikwuano council areas in 2021.
The Head of NEMA, Owerri Operations Office, Mr Nnaji Ifeanyi, who represented the agency’s Director-General, Mr Mustapha Ahmed, supervised the exercise.
The distribution took place at the office of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in Umuahia.
The items included 951 bags of 10kg of rice, 951 bags of 10kg of garri, 951 bags of 10kg of beans and 157 jerrycans of 20 litres of vegetable oil.
Other items were 710 bags of cement, 740 bundles of roofing sheets, 370 packets of zinc nails and 460 bags of three inches nails.
In a brief remark, Ahmed said that a joint team of assessors from Owerri and Abia SEMA had earlier conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the affected areas.
He said that the team also conducted the victims’ needs analysis “to ascertain the impact and level of destruction caused by the disasters.
Also, the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Mr Sunday Jackson, said the relief materials would offer succour to the affected people.
According to him, it is a very important day because for 2021, we forwarded several reports and this is the first approval that we got.
Jackson commended the Federal Government for coming to the aid of the state, saying that Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu “should also be commended for providing the enabling environment”.
In a speech, the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Chris Ezem, also lauded the federal government “for choosing Abia as a beneficiary state”.
Ezem, who was represented by Mr Franklin Onyema, Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Economic Affairs, urged communities to always take precautionary measures to avert the occurrence of some disasters.
Responding, Mr Chile Thompson, who represented Ozu Abam, one of the affected communities, said he was impressed with the government’s kind gesture.
“These are the things people have been looking for to know that government remembers disaster victims, like us,” Thompson said.(NAN)
