By Ibrahim Dan-Halilu
The National Emergency Management (NEMA) has commenced the distribution of relief materials to the vulnerable and victims of flood and other disasters across the 36 states and FCT.
The agency is expected to distribute relief material to over 600,000 households under the presidential intervention programme tagged Special National Economic and Livelihood Emergency Intervention (SNELEI) designed to assist vulnerable people across the country and those affected by the flood to support their quick return to normalcy.
Launching the first phase of the programme in Kano recently, the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Mustapha Habib Ahmed said Kano State would receive relief material for 22,658 victims earmarked for the relief.
The items, according to him, include mosquito nets, nylon mats, blankets, mattresses, plastic buckets, sets of cooking pots, toiletries and cooking stove.
Other livelihood equipment included sewing machines, Agricultural inputs such as grinding machine, maize seeds, rice seeds, groundnut seeds, water pumping machine, liquid fertilizer, growth enhancers, pesticides, herbicide and knapsack sprayers.
Ahmed-Habib advised the beneficiaries to make proper use of the items to improve their socio-economic conditions and avoid selling the items.
“The crop seedlings and equipment are given to take farmers back to the land, stimulate crop production and safeguard our national food security in the middle economic downturn.
Similarly, in Niger State, NEMA presented relief material to 23,000 farmers and vulnerable persons to support their livelihoods. The items distributed include sewing machines, grinding machines, rice (25kg), beans (10kg), sorghum (10kg), vegetable oil, salt, tomato paste and seasoning.
Others were mosquito nets,mats, blankets, plastic buckets, mattresses, cooking pots, stove, toiletries, as well as inputs such as grains, herbicide, pesticide, growth enhancers, liquid fertilisers and water pump.
The NEMA boss advised the beneficiaries to make proper use of the items to improve their socio-economic conditions.
Earlier, the Deputy Governor, GarbaYakubu, lauded NEMA for always being there for the downtrodden while assuring that the items would go a long way in complementing the state government’s efforts in bringing succour to the victims.
In Kebbi State, NEMA distributed materials to 9100 households. The director –general, represented by the Supervisor of SNELEI, Alhaji Ibrahim Yusuf, urged the beneficiaries to make proper use of the items to improve their socio- economic conditions.
He thanked the state government and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for providing them with all the necessary support to accomplish the very important and timely intervention.
In his remarks, Gov. Nasir Idris, urged the flood victims to utilise the relief items distributed to them by NEMA judiciously and avoid selling them.
“Committees have been set up by the government, which cut across the local government areas to ensure that distribution of these items reaches all the beneficiaries in good time and with full quantity expected.
“There items will be given out in different categories of food items and others. Whichever category of the items the beneficiaries get, you should all use it judiciously.
The governor, represented by his Deputy, Sen. Umar Abubakar, urged the committees to justly distribute the relief items to the targeted beneficiaries.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the items distributed included sewing machine and grinding machines, assorted food items, non- food items and sundry agricultural inputs.
In Bayelsa State, 7,811 households benefitted from the Federal Government relief through NEMA. The items distributed included food and non-food items, such as tools for livelihood support, agriculture seedlings, rice, beans, vegetable oil and blankets. Others are: Mattresses, Seedlings, Pesticides, Fertilisers, sewing machines, grinding machines and sprayers.
As one of the states affected by the 2022 flood disaster, Kwara State too received relief materials from NEMA. Governor Abdul Razaq who received the items, commended the effort of the Federal Government through NEMA for what he called ‘this timely intervention’
He reiterated his administration’s commitment towards supporting any programme that would alleviate the socio-economic hardship of people in the state.
Unde r the first phase of the programme, NEMA distributed relief materials to 600 households in Bauchi. Mr Suleiman Muhammad, Assistant Director, Relief and Rehabilitation at NEMA said in Bauchi that the items would be distributed to households in the 20 local government areas of the state.
Mr Suleiman Muhammad, Assistant Director, Relief and Rehabilitation at NEMA said in Bauchi that the items would be distributed to households in the 20 local government areas of the state.
“We are starting with the first phase of distribution to be followed by two other phases.
“The verification of registered flood victims for the SNELEI intervention was designed to provide support for victims of the 2022 disaster, targeting 13,226 households across Bauchi State.
“The relief materials include food items, livelihood support tools, and seedlings, among others, which will be distributed directly to victims to build their socio-economic resilience,’’ Muhammad said.
They are rice, beans, soya beans, maize, groundnut oil, other cooking condiments, blankets, mattresses, mats, stoves, pots, soaps and mosquito nets.
Others are seedlings, pesticides, fertiliser, sewing machines, grinding machines, and sprayers, among others.
According to Muhammad, the interventions will be implemented by NEMA in conjunction with the Bauchi State Emergency Management Agency.
Responding, Mr Abdullahi Usman, Chairman Bauchi State Emergency Management Agency, commended the Federal Government for establishing a special programme to alleviate the sufferings of the vulnerable and of flood-affected persons.
Usman said the distribution was timely and would alleviate the beneficiaries’ sufferings.