The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has distributed relief materials to 25,698 victims of 2022 flood disaster and vulnerable groups in the state.
Alhaji Mustafa Habeeb, Director-General of NEMA, made this known during the distribution of items to persons affected by the 2022 flood disaster and vulnerable groups in Jalingo.
Habeeb said the gesture was under the special national economic and livelihood emergency intervention, aimed at bringing succour to the victims and vulnerable groups in Nigeria. Habeed, represented by Malam Saidu Inusa, leader of the delegation and supervisor for the distribution of the items said the relief materials were further categorised into three components.
He mentioned food and non food commodities as the first component which includes; rice, beans, sorghum, maggie, salt and vegetable oil, blankets, mats, mosquito nets and detergents. He listed the livelihood items which is in the second category to include sewing machines and grinding machines.
For the third category which were farm inputs, Habeeb listed water pumps for dry season farmers, sprayers, liquid fertilizers, herbicides and seedlings. The director-general further explained that the list of the beneficiaries were generated since 2022 from the flood affected communities and approved by NEMA management for the distribution.
Habeeb advised the beneficiaries to make good use of the items to cushion the effect of the flood disasters. He also said that the livelihood items should create wealth to the beneficiaries and to improve the economy of their communities.
He said that the agency had collaborated with all security agencies nation wide to protect the relief materials from stores down to the distribution. He also expressed satisfaction with the security arrangement in ensuring a hitch free distribution exercise.
In his remark, Mr Savior Nuku, the Commissioner for Special Duties and Social Services thanked the federal government for the kind gesture. Nuku, who was represented by Mr Joseph Tijos, a Director in the ministry said that the distribution was timely as it would mitigate the hardship caused by the flood disaster.
He encouraged beneficiaries not to sell their items, advising them to make good use of the life support items. Alhaji Aliyu Abarre, one of the beneficiaries commended the federal government for the kind gesture.
Abarre said that the items would go along way in cushioning the effects of the flood as well as the current economic hardship.