Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Kwara Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has urges the Federal Government to come to the aid of over 15,000 indigenes displaced by flood in the state.
He made the appeal when he met with President Muhammadi Buhari to request for aid to ameliorate the sufferings of this year’s flood victims.
Abdulrazaq, who spoke to State House Correspondents, said recent floods in the state had led to destruction of 5,000 houses, displacement of 15,000 people, thousands of hectares of land submerged with prospects of very poor harvest. He estimated the losses to flood disaster at between N5 to N10 billion.
The governor said the President had promised to help and that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) cycle of assistance would be shorter than the regular six months.
“Over the weekend, we had huge rainstorm that destroyed about 5,000 houses in the state capital. We had huge flooding in Kwara North and the bank of River Niger. There are a lot of internally displaced people at the bank of River Niger and in the State capital. About 10,000 to 15,000 people are already displaced. So, it is straining the state’s economy. The state needs virtual aid to abate the crisis,” he said.
On President Buhari’s response, the governor said: “Very proactive, the Federal Government is coming in to assist the State.
The new General Manager of NEMA is also coming to Kwara to see the situation for himself. Already, NEMA is on ground in Kwara. He promised that the cycle will be shorter this time around. Before, after flooding, it will take up to six months before the aid comes in. But he has promised that things have been turned around at NEMA and they will act promptly. I believe him because he is an ex-Airforce officer. It will be regimented.”
