The Senate has ordered an investigation into the activities of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) following an allegation by a lawmaker that the department engaged in a selective emergency response to victims of flooding.
Specifically, NEMA is said to have distributed relief materials to victims of flood in some selected affected areas in the country, without releasing same to other affected places.
The motion on the matter was moved on Tuesday by Senator Binos Yaroe (APC, Adamawa South).
Yaroe recalled that NEMA was established by Act 50 of the 1999 constitution as amended for the purpose of managing disasters in Nigeria.
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While lamenting a major flooding which occurred in October 2019 as a result of release of excess water by the authorities of Lagbo dam in Cameroon, Yaroe accused NEMA of being selective in its disaster response interventions.
“NEMA performed a disaster response action by distributing relief materials to communities in Furore, Yola South, Yola North and Girei Local Governments of Adamawa State affected by the floods.
“This intervention by NEMA was not extended to other local governments in Adamawa State along the River Benue valley equally affected by the flood disaster.
“Although the attention of the Director-General of NEMA was drawn to the need to provide relief materials to communities of the four local governments in Adamawa State severely affected by the October floods, nothing has been done; and NEMA would appear to be selective in its disaster response interventions,” he said.
Consequently, the Senate has mandated its committees on Special Duties, Ecology and Climate Change and Environment to investigate the activities of NEMA, particularly with a response to flood disasters in the year 2019.
While directing NEMA to immediately implement a response programme for flood disasters, the Senate further mandated the agency to offer relief items to affected communities in Demsa, Numa, Guyuk and Lamurde Local Governments of Adamawa State.
Meanwhile, the Senate has directed the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to ensure strict compliance with the United Nations 1957 safety agreement and end the carriage of dangerous goods on Nigerian roads.
The Senate gave the directive sequel to a motion on the need for tankers transporting flammable products and premium motor spirits (PMS) in Nigeria to adhere to road safety rules, moved by Senator Tolulope Odebiyi (APC, Ogun West).
Odebiyi particularly informed that a petroleum tanker with fuel crashed on the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway on Thursday, November 14, 2019.
According to the lawmaker, the tanker emptied its contents on the road following the crash and caused a terrible fire incident and killed scores.
Senate, however, sympathised with the families of those involved in the accident and called on relief agencies to provide assistance to all those affected.
