…FG, NEDC assess flood damage
…Emir of Ilorin, Yola Electric sympathise with Zulum, Shehu of Borno
Babagana Zulum, the Borno State governor, has said one million residents of Maiduguri, the State Capital, were so far affected by floods which ravaged the City and its environs on Tuesday.
Governor Zulum disclosed this while speaking on the incidents in Maiduguri shortly after distribution of food items to the internally displaced persons at the new camps set up to accommodate the affected people.
“We have separated them into different camps and already providing support. We will come up with long term and short term measures as soon as we take the data of the people affected.
“The water this year exceeded the capacity of the dam, we had a very heavy rainfall and it may be due to climate change. I think the population of the affected people will reach one million because more more than half the city have been flooded.What we need to do now is to reconstruct the dam.
“Also, most of the waterways are blocked because people built houses on the waterway thereby reducing the weigth of the canals. This is one of the major reasons of this problem. We have not seen this kind of incident, it has not happened in about 50 years. There was also releasee of water from Cameroon and other Countries and this compounded the problem”, the governor said.
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Interior, who visited Borno State to sympathise with people over the flood disasters and to asses the security situation at Correctional Service facility where there was alleged jailbreak and many prisoners were said to have escaped.
Read also: Borno govt orders closure of schools as flood ravages Maiduguri
He described the incident as sad moment while reacting to the questions from newsmen in Maiduguri on Wednesday.
Also, the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the level of destruction caused by the flood that ravaged parts of Borno.
Mohammed Alkali, the Managing Director of the Commission, while sympathising with the victims, pledged to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to cushion the effect of the flood disaster.
Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman Kwara State Traditional Rulers Council, has sympathised with the Shehu of Borno, Umar Garbai Ibn El-Kanemi and Governor Babagana Zulum over the incidence of floods which submerged major parts of Maiduguri and Borno State, including the Palace of Shehu of Borno.
In a press statement issued and signed by Abdulazeez Arowona, the Emir’s spokesman, Sulu-Gambari described the situation as unfortunate and regrettable, even as he prayed to Almighty Allah to cease occurrence of such incidence.
Similarly, Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) extended its deepest sympathy to the Government and people of Borno State following the devastating floods caused by the overflow from Alau Dam, saying the disaster had left many in a State of dilemma from significant losses, displacement, injuries and reports of missing persons.
In a press statement signed by Blessing Tunno, its Communication Officer, YEDC sympathised with all those affected by the unfortunate flood, describing it a difficult time for the entire people of Borno State, urging however the people of Borno State to stay safe, abide by emergency guidelines and co-operate with local authorities working to restore normalcy.
