The International Breweries PLC has donated relief materials worth millions of naira to the victims of flood disaster in Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state.
The items are branded 10kg bags of rice, cartons of 5litres vegetable oil, cartons of noodles, cartons of spaghetti and malt cans.
Damian Igwe, Corporate Affairs Manager of the company, presented the items to the Camp Manager, Chinedu Okosa for the Internally Displaced Persons on Friday.
He said the company also commiserated with the Anambra State government on the loss in both human and materials, resulting from the flood menace ravaging the country, with Anambra being one of the worst hit.
“This is one of our corporate social responsibility interventions. The intention is to support the displaced persons in Ogbaru LGA through the donation of relief materials, majorly groceries,” Igwe said.
The company’s Plant Manager, Fidelis Igwe said that Ogbaru community has been a good host, adding that it is its responsibility to support them at this trying period of natural disaster.
“It is good we reciprocate the good gesture when they are need. We, felt that it is good we give them something to keep them going,” he said.
Receiving the items, Chinedu Okosa, the Camp Manager commended the company for the good gesture, adding that it would be judiciously use for the purpose.
According to him, all the flats of the two buildings donated by Hon. Chuchu Onyema, representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency had been fully occupied with about 1046 displaced persons from 647 households.
He appealed to both the state and Ogbaru Local Governments to do more for the displaced people as their sufferings had increased by the day without adequate facilities in the camp.
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Okosa commended the churches and individuals who have visited the camp with gift items.
A 62-year-old farmer, Chukwudi Oputa who came back to Nigeria from Liberia in 2009 to settle finally in his homestead of Odekpe, one of the communities of the area lamented that the flood has washed off all the crops he planted on his farm during the planting season.
He noted that the flood also washed off his fishes in the fish pond and other belongings.
“Our little cash businesses can no longer hold as things have fallen apart, where is God.
“I saw my things floating on water that early morning, but my immediate thoughts were my family and how to manage this hard period in the country,” he said.
The father of five children and a wife have relocated his family to the Internally Displaced People Camp (IDPC) provided for them and others, lamenting his fate over the natural disaster.
According to him, this is the second time, the first was in 2012, the worst year of such incident in his life, thus a bachelor then.
Oputa is just one of the over 17, 000 persons displaced by flood in Anambra state living at the mercy of the same mother nature that swept them off their homes
Miss Chioma Okeke, a JSS3 student, one of the displaced said she was looking forward to going back home to resume school.
“I have lost a lot academically and physically, I am supposed to be in school with others. This is my first term in JSS3 class, I felt pained, but what can I do,” she said.
Onyebuchi Nworie, a petty trader and mother of two, said the effect of the flood on her business had rendered her family poorer.
“We lost all our things including home and farmland this year. I am appealing to the government at all levels to come to our aids,” she said.
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