Zulum flags off distribution of relief to Maiduguri flood victims

Babagana Zulum, Borno State governor, has flagged off the distribution of relief materials to victims of the devastating Maiduguri flood, taking refuge in about 36 camps.

Recall that the flood disaster struck Maiduguri due to overflowing water from Alau Dam, displacing nearly two million people within Maiduguri Metropolis and its environs.

The flag-off ceremony took place, on Monday, at Bakasi camp along Damboa Road in Maiduguri where relief materials include a bag of 25kg of rice, a carton of pasta and N10,000 cash.

Speaking to journalists, Governor Zulum decried the fact that many people not affected by the flood were trooping to the IDP camps, thereby making it difficult for smooth operations.

He said, “We observed that it is no more sustainable to continue receiving people in the camps because many people that were not affected are tripping to the camps.”

Read also: Maiduguri flood: Zulum seeks NEMA’s aid to resettle victims

In addition to distributing relief materials, the governor also announced plans to comprehensively assess the affected areas, which would inform future interventions.

He stated, “So we decided to mobilise the resources and ensure that each affected victim had the relief items.

“We have also concluded arrangements that we shall do the assessment at the communities to verify the actual number of those that were affected”, he noted.

Zubaida Umar, the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), highlighted her Agency’s interventions for victims of the flood disaster.

Since the flooding started, she noted that the Agency had been providing shelters and mobile water purifiers to provide clean drinking water to those affected.

Meanwhile, Governor Babagana Zulum has acknowledged the receipt of a food donation from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to support the victims of the recent flood disaster.

The occasion was attended by the Senator representing Borno North, Mohammed Tahir Monguno, members of the House of Representatives, and the Borno State Executive Council.