From Fred Itua, Abuja
The Bayelsa State Post Flood Management Committee on Sunday said that it received a total cash donation of N552,000,000 from public-spirited individuals during the 2012 flood.
A report obtained from the Secretary of the committee, Mr Iniruo Wills, stated that the Committee received N500 million from the Chairman òf Globacom, Otunba Mike Adenuga.
It was stated further that the Bayelsa State Government under Senator Henry Seriake Dickson authorised the release of N32,000,000 million for administrative expenses and another N20 million for relief materials (mattresses, food items, medical, consumables, toiletries, etc.)
The Committee report was released following a petition by an NGO to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alleging diversion of N17.5 billion.
The committee’s report is further proof of the misinformation to the EFCC by the said NGO HEDA and should apologise to Senator Dickson and Nigerians at large.
The report stated that the Committee embarked on interventionist efforts in 350 communities ravaged by the flood to complement the efforts of the State’s Flood Emergency Relief Management Committee led by the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd). The Jonah John led committee was fully funded by the state government with no donor funds.
Soon after the inauguration, ‘the Post Flood Committee embarked on the distribution of relief materials such as mattresses and medical consumables to schools, health institutions and youth corps members’ lodges, while affected communities benefited from food items and other consumables to complement earlier relief efforts by the State’s Flood Emergency Relief Management Committee led by the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd),’ the report read.
The copy of the report produced by the Chairman, the late Francis Doukpola, former Chairman Bayelsa Council of Elders and Mr Iniruo Wills, a former Commissioner for Environment stated that the Committee took further steps to ensure that houses that were affected by the flood were salvaged.
It was stated further that a total of 140,000 bags of cement were donated to 350 communities each of which got 400 bags.
The committee categorically rejects the claim that it received N17.5bn for flood victims at any time. The former Governor Senator Dickson had denied in an earlier statement that the state Government did not receive such funds while he was Governor and that the Government handed over the N500m donation by Mike Adenuga to the Post Flood committee.