NEMA DONATES RELIEF MATERIALS TO OVER 18,000 VULNERABLE HOUSEHOLDS IN ANAMBRA
REPORTER: UCHE NDEKE
The Federal Government says 660,884 households are targeted to benefit from the 2023 National Special Economic and Livelihood Intervention for 2022 flood victims and most vulnerable persons in Nigeria.
The Director General, National Emergency Management Agency, (NEMA), Mr. Mustapha Ahmed, stated this in Awka during the official commencement of distribution of food stuffs and other materials to beneficiaries in Anambra State.
Radio Nigeria gathered that18,904 households are to benefit from the gesture aimed at cushioning the effect of the flood devastation as well as the economic hardship occasioned by the removal of petrol subsidy this year.
The items provided by the Federal Government include: grinding machines, sewing machines, seed rice, mattresses, water pump machines, pots, stoves, buckets and blankets detergent, bath soaps, mosquito nets and pesticides.
Others are food stuffs, including garri, beans, rice, maggi, sachet salts, sachet tomatoes and groundnut oil.
The NEMA DG who was represented by the Assistant Director, Planning, Research and Forecasting, Mr. Afolarin Olusegun, said certain procedures were followed in the selection process.
They included an in-depth assessment of the actual vulnerable persons and those affected by the 2022 flood disaster.
The measure was to ensure that the real people would benefit from the Federal Government gesture.
He advised the beneficiaries to make utmost use of the items and avoid selling the none food items as they were expected to continue their livelihood with the empowerment.
The Governor of Anambra State, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, thanked the Federal Government for the gesture as the effect of the flood disaster was beyond the capacity of the state government.
According to the Deputy Governor, the flood affected health and school system, washed away roads, bridges and farmlands, while livelihood was badly compromised.
He hinted that the holding camps were already being activated and that people in the riverine areas would soon be moving in as the water level continued to rise this year.
In a remark, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, (SEMA), Chief Paul Odenigbo noted that ten local government areas were affected by the flood while intervention, for the vulnerable persons in the three senatorial zones of the state would be distributed in three phases for a seamless exercise.
Some of the beneficiaries, including Mrs. Comfort Udeozor, Mr. Ignatius Nnaemeka and Comrade Chidozie Agulu, commended the Federal and state Governments for providing them with items that would put them back to their respective livelihoods.
They also pleaded that such interventions be made more regular to cushion the increasing hardship in the country.
EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU
