Jonathan approves N17.6bn for flood victims

Our Reporter October 10, 2012 

 

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.Dangote, Adenuga, Agbakoba, Elumelu, others make relief committee
From JULIANA TAIWO-OBALONYE, Abuja
President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday announced the release of N17.6 billion direct financial assistance to flood-ravaged states. The President, in a nationwide broadcast, categorised the affected states into four groups, A to D, which would get N500, N400, N300, N250 million respectively. “Category A states include: Oyo, Kogi, Benue, Plateau, Adamawa, Delta, Bayelsa and Anambra.
Category B: Jigawa, Kano, Bauchi, Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa, Taraba, Cross River, Edo, Lagos and Imo States while category C had Kwara, Katsina, Gombe, Ogun, Ondo, Ebonyi, Abia and Rivers States. The last category has Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Yobe, Enugu, Ekiti, Osun, Akwa-Ibom Borno States and the FCT,’’ the president said. In addition, two key ministries, Works and Environment, as well as two key agencies, National Emergency Managment Agency (NEMA), National Commission for Refugees (NCR) and the Presidential Technical Committee on Floods Assessment got about N5 billion to assist in mitigating the adverse effects of the flooding.
The Ministry of Works got N2.6 billion, NEMA, N1.1 billion, Ministry of Environment, N350 million, National Commission for Refugees, N150 million and the Presidential Technical Committee on Flood Impact Assessment, N100 million. In a nationwide broadcast, President Jonathan also announced the setting up of a National Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation, to be co-chaired by Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Mr. Olisa Agbakoba with Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr. as the chief fund mobiliser. The committee is to assist the Federal Government to raise funds to mitigate the pains and ensure the effective post-impact of rehabilitation of victims.
The committee which has one year to conclude its task is also expected to advise government on the judicious utilisation of the funds raised, and has been authorised by President Jonathan to co-opt other persons or organisations that it may find useful in carrying out its assignment. The president also promised that he and Vice President Namadi Sambo would visit some of the victims, He said till date, over N2 billion had been spent on relief materials, repair of collapsed bridges and construction of by-passes. Government interventions so far included NEMA, which had spent N1.314 billion, Ministry of Works, N556 million on repair of collapsed bridges and the construction of by-passes while the Ministry of Environment had spent N95 million on sundry relief measures.
President Jonathan said upon the receipt of the final report of assessment of the impact of the flood from the technical committee, government would announce medium and long-term measures to check future flood disaster. He expressed government’s sympathy with the victims and gave the assurance that government would do everything possible to mitigate the impact.

SOURCE: 10 October 2012.