Committee on floods … states, agencies to get N17bn

October 10, 2012 by Olalekan Adetayo  

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday announced the establishment of a National Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation.

The committee headed by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, and a former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), is to raise funds to complement Federal Government’s efforts at providing relief to flood victims and the post-impact rehabilitation of affected persons and communities.

Jonathan, in a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday morning, named Globacom Chairman, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr., as the Chief Fund Mobiliser.

The committee also has Alhaji Karami Rabiu, Alhaji Mohammed Indimi, Ngo Hannatu Cholum, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, Prof. Dora Akunyili and Mr. Tony Elumelu, as members.

Others are the Secretary-General, Nigerian Red Cross, representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, UNDP, European Union, DFID and USAID.

Permanent secretaries of the Ministries of Environment, Water Resources, Works, Agriculture, Health, Finance, National Planning and the Ecological Funds Office are also members.

Other members are the Director-General, NEMA; acting Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees; Chairman, Senate Committee on Special Duties; Chairman, House Committee on Environment; representatives of the Nigerian Union of Journalists; National Council of Women’s Societie;, Mr. Tunde Lemo, (representing the Central Bank of Nigeria); Ms. Fatima Wali; Mr. Frank Nweke Jnr.; and Senator Florence Ita-Giwa.

The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation will provide a secretariat for the Committee that has one year to conclude its task.

Jonathan, who had earlier set up a presidential technical committee to visit all affected areas to properly assess the impact of the floods, added that all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory would share N17.6bn as direct intervention in the cases of flooding.

He said copies of the interim report of the technical committee had been made available to critical stakeholders, including the leadership of the National Assembly as well as governors of the affected states.

He said the committee would continue to go round the country while himself and Vice- President Namadi Sambo, would also visit some parts of the affected communities.

Out of the N17.6bn , N13.3bn will be distributed to the states according to the impact of the flood on them. Government agencies saddled with the responsibility of providing relief would receive the remaining N4.3bn.

Jonathan commiserated with the victims of the floods and said his administration was prepared to do everything possible to mitigate the impact of the natural disaster on the people.

On the sharing formula for the N13.3bn intervention, Jonathan said the states had been categorised into four groups. States in the first group will get N500m; second group, N400m; third group, N300m; and fourth group, N250m .

Oyo, Kogi, Benue, Plateau, Adamawa, Delta, Bayelsa and Anambra states will get N500m each while Jigawa, Kano, Bauchi, Kaduna, Niger, Nasarrawa, Taraba, Cross Rivers, Edo, Lagos and Imo states will receive N400m each.

Kwara, Katsina, Gombe, Ogun, Ondo, Ebonyi, Abia and Rivers states will be given N300m each while Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Yobe, Enugu, Ekiti, Osun, Akwa Ibom and Borno states as well as the Federal Capital Territory will get N250m each.

Jonathan said the Ministry of Works will get N2.6bn; the National Emergency Management Agency , N1.16bn and Ministry of Environment , N350m.

He added that the coffer of the National Commission on Refugees would get a boost with N150m while the presidential committee he set up on the disaster will get N100m.

The Dangote-Agbakoba-led national committee, according to him, will also advise government on the judicious use of funds raised.

The President said NEMA had so far expended N1.314bn on relief materials for the victims since the present flooding started. He added that the Ministry of Works had spent N568m on the repair of collapsed bridges and construction of bye-passes while the Ministry of Environment spent N95m on sundry relief efforts.

He said, “Over the past few weeks, unprecedented floods have ravaged many parts of our country, rendering tens of thousands of fellow Nigerians homeless and causing massive destruction of properties, farmlands and infrastructure across the country.

“I wish to commiserate with all those who have lost loved ones, those who have lost their property as well all the affected communities and institutions.

“It is sad that this global phenomenon of devastating floods has come to Nigeria at this time.

“I want to reassure all Nigerians that the Federal Government is prepared to do everything possible to mitigate the impact of this natural disaster.”

Jonathan promised that whenever he receives the committee’s final report, the Federal Government would further initiate medium and long term measures to check future flood disaster.

He thanked state governments, non-governmental organisations, private individuals and faith-based organisations among others for responding to the needs of the victims.

SOURCE: The Punch - Nigeria's Most Widely Read Newspaper 10 October 2012.