From John Adams, Minna
The federal government has approved N3 billion for each of the 36 states of the federation to enable it to address the issues of flood disasters in their respective states.
Vice President Kashim Shettima disclosed this in Gwada, Shiroro local government area of Niger State, on Friday when he visited the Internally Displaced People (IDP) camp in the area.
The Vice President, who was accompanied by the state governor, Umaru Mohammed Bago, said the visit was at the directives of President Bola Tinubu and to reaffirm the commitment of the Federal government to the people of Niger State towards addressing the devastating effects of the flood and insecurity that had bedevilled the state.
According to him, the visit was a symbolic gesture, an assessment tour of the IDP camps, and an assurance to the people that the president was supposed to support the state at all times to overcome the mirage problem of insecurity and flooding.
“We have come to reaffirm the commitment of the President towards reducing the suffering of our people. We are aware many lives have been lost and people have lost means of livelihood as well as property worth millions affected. I learnt about fourteen local government areas that are affected in Niger.
“We have come on an assessment tour and we assured the government and people of Niger state that the president is posed to assist all states of the federation,” he said.
He noted further that a scientific approach and assessment would be done on states like Borno, Niger, Sokoto, Delta, Jigawa, and Bayelsa with more incidents of flooding, adding that all states would be fully supported.
According to the Vice President, “N3 billion has been released to each state of the federation to address the flooding issues across the length and breadth of this nation.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as some states like Borno, Sokoto, Niger, Bayelsa,, and Jigawa are concerned.
“We will do the assessment and be scientific in our approach, and all states that deserve to be supported will be fully supported because governance is about the people, and the president has the people in his mind as he sleeps and wakes up with Nigeria on his mind, and we will go round the country and offer empathy and support,” he added.
On the recent tanker explosion that claimed the lives of over 60 people, Shettima said the President had intervened decisively in the area of infrastructure, especially on East-West and Badagri to Sokoto roads.
He pointed out that the road where the accident happened was under construction, adding that the government would continue to do its utmost best to address the challenges of the infrastructure deficit in the country.
In his remarks, Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago told the people that the visit was to sympathise with people affected by flood disasters and insecurity and therefore thanked the vice president for the visit.
The governor general statistics of IDPs in the state said that 46,853 displaced persons and 5,863 households were affected, 5,863 and 23,450 men and women were affected, and 17,540 children were also affected in flood, banditry, and communal conflict.
The items donated to the IDPs by the vice president during the visit include mattresses, rice, beans, groundnut oil, salt, soap, and blankets, among others.
