President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday, said he had to shelve his proposed visit to the United States, to identify with the people of Maiduguri and environs in Borno State over the recent flood disaster, which almost crashed commercial and social activities in the state.
Tinubu vowed to use a different approach to tackle the challenges of climate change and other environmental issues facing the country.
He announced the setting up of a relief fund to help disaster victims, and appealed to the private sector to take interest in the initiative by contributing towards the cause of humanity.
Tinubu declared the flood disaster a natural occurrence.
But Shehu of Borno, His Royal Highness, Abubakar Umar Garba, requested a probe into the flood disaster.
Tinubu, who was received by Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, and other stakeholders in the state, made straight to the palace of the Shehu of Borno, where he commiserated with the monarch.
On his way to the palace, the president visited the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp, where he assured the flood victims of maximum support by the federal government.
Speaking at Shehu's palace, Tinubu said he had to reschedule his official trip to the United States of America in order to sympathise with the people of Borno State over the unfortunate incident.
He said, "I am just here to sympathise with you. I know your palace was overtaken by flood. I have heard the report. My VP gave me details but to me personally, I know I had to cut off my trip to America.
"I was going to go to America but decided to be with you even if only for five minutes - to share the moment. I thank you very much for your leadership, for your various prayers. This is one disaster that we must pay attention to. We will help Borno State.
"We, as a government, as Nigerian people, we pledge to stand with you. We assure you that we will help you in the rehabilitation process. It is our problem not just your problem. We must share in each other's pains.
"The situation that we find ourselves in the environmental problem, climate change and all of these is what we must tackle differently and we must educate our people."
At the Borno State Government House in Maiduguri, Tinubu announced a disaster relief fund to assist citizens affected by flood and other disasters. He said the relief fund was expedient, as the climate became more unpredictable and many places in the country were vulnerable to its vagaries.
He said, "After my visit to the Shehu of Borno and the IDP camp, I have been reflecting on how to tackle this kind of disaster and the effects of climate change.
"There must be a disaster relief fund. I will invite the private sector to team up with us and help rebuild the affected areas.
"If we take a small percentage from FAAC and put it as disaster relief fund, which will include all of you, we will be activating and strengthening our sense of belonging."
Tinubu thanked Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, who is also Chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF); Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed; Sokoto State Governor, Ahmad Aliyu; Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Ododo; and other governors who looked beyond party lines to bear the burdens of others.
While saying Nigeria's diversity should spur prosperity, the president extended his sympathy to the government and people of Yobe State, and all the states affected by flooding and pledged his government's continued support for victims of natural disasters.
He stated, "For all the people of Yobe State, I sympathise with you. We will create an outstanding programme for Nigeria to recover from this calamity. We will build our nation together."
Tinubu thanked Zulum for his prompt intervention as well as the Theatre Command of the Nigerian military for the evacuation that saved many lives.
He said, "I am glad that Professor Zulum has been a very active governor. Let me assure you that we will be with you, Borno State, and share the burden.
"This disaster was a natural one. It was not the making of anybody. We cannot pass the blame. We pray that the Almighty Allah will receive the souls of the departed and grant them eternal rest. May God also overlook their shortcomings and misdeeds on earth."
The president commended all the ministries, agencies, and security outfits, particularly the military, involved in evacuation and relief and recognised the international organisations working in the state.
Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who accompanied Tinubu on the visit, said the National Assembly would collaborate with the executive to establish the relief fund.
In his comments at his palace, Shehu of Borno, requested the president to get to the root cause of the flooding.
The monarch stated, "My request is one, that is, find out the root cause of this flooding and address it appropriately so as to avoid future occurrence, as 80 per cent has been affected by this disaster.
"This great city of Maiduguri was established sometime in 1907. It's a period of 117 years. Nothing like this happened. Although about 30 years back, 1994, similar disaster of this kind happened but this that happened is worse."
He expressed appreciation to the military for their role in rescuing the victims.
Zulum thanked the president for cutting short his trip to the US to commiserate with his people.
He recalled that the president had a long term relationship with the people of the state, stressing that Tinubu contributed immensely to the growth of democracy in the state.
The governor said, "Your Excellency, your relationship with the people of Borno State has been in existence long before you became President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Some may not even count the number of times you came to Maiduguri.
"For those of us in the position, we knew your contributions to the growth and development of our dear state. We have known your contributions to the growth and development of democracy in Borno State and, indeed, to our own party.
"We have seen the contributions you made when we had the Sabari Masaka; the many more incidences that have happened in Borno State. Now that you have become the president, I am not surprised.
"So, you have been here, rest assured that the people of Borno State will never disappoint you. You have a dependable ally, we will never disappoint you."
Zulum expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Agriculture, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for their support to the state so far.
Meanwhile, Zulum had begun the distribution of relief materials to victims of the Maiduguri flooding taking refuge in about 36 camps across the state capital, Maiduguri, and its environs.
Zulum acknowledged the receipt of food donation from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, NEMA, and NNPCL to support victims of the recent flood disaster.
Kano State Government presented a cheque of N100 million to the Borno State government as part of the collective effort to ameliorate the suffering of the flood victims.
The immediate past Chief Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume, also donated N50 million to victims of the disaster.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, ordered the immediate reconstruction of police facilities damaged by the flood.
Maiduguri and parts of Jere and Konduga local governments were submerged in water as a result of overflowing water from Alau Dam due to massive rainfall. The floods left about two million people displaced and property put at several billions of Naira destroyed.
The flag-off ceremony for the distribution of relief items to the victims took place at Bakasi camp along Damboa Road in Maiduguri. The relief materials shared included a bag of 25kg of rice, a carton of pasta, and N10,000 cash to each of the flood victims.
Speaking to journalists at the venue of the distribution, Zulum lamented that many people not affected by the flood were trooping to the IDP camps, thereby complicating the distribution of the palliatives to the real victims.
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 trooping to the camps."
In addition to the distribution of relief materials, the governor also announced plans to comprehensively assess the affected areas for 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."
Zulum acknowledged the receipt of food donations from NEMA and NNPCL to support victims of the flood disaster.
The senator for Borno Central Senatorial District, Kaka Lawan, commended the governor for his leadership.
Lawan said at the venue of the distribution exercise, "Let me commend the governor for providing leadership since the flooding started. He was out with his entire team trying to carry out search and rescue and assisting his people. I also join His Excellency in commending our donors and urging others to complement the government in assisting victims."
Director General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, highlighted her agency's interventions for the victims.
Umar said since the flooding started, the agency had been providing shelter and mobile water purifiers to provide clean drinkable water to those affected.
Kano Donates N100 Million to Victims
Kano State Government presented a cheque of N100 million to the Borno State government to support the flood victims.
A delegation led by the Commissioner for Information, Baba Halilu Dantiye, presented the cheque to Zulum during a sympathy visit to Borno State.
Dantiye said the initiative demonstrated the commitment of Kano State and its people to always empathise with disaster victims.
The commissioner, who represented Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State, expressed sympathy for the victims, describing the humanitarian crisis as catastrophic.
Yusuf called for collective efforts to support the affected people and reaffirmed Kano State's solidarity with Borno State during the difficult time.
In his response, Zulum commended the gesture from the Kano State government and its people. He assured that the donation would go a long way in bringing succour to the affected residents.
Ndume, who donated N50 million to the victims, also rallied leaders and other stakeholders from Borno South Senatorial District to raise additional funds for the victims.
Ndume, who announced the palliative measures in a statement in Abuja, yesterday, lamented the plight of the victims.
He called on the federal government to consider the flood disaster a national issue and create emergency feeding centres for the victims. He also commended Zulum for creating over 25 camps for the victims.
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A former ministerial nominee and member of the Presidential Committee on Palliative Distribution, Dr. Maryam Shettima, expressed satisfaction with the composition and distribution mechanism adopted by the federal government to address the immediate needs of flood victims in the North-east and vulnerable communities across the North-west and other parts of the country.
She stated that President Bola Tinubu was intensifying efforts to mitigate food shortage in impacted regions across the country through new initiatives in the agricultural sector.
Shettima said the committee included representatives from various political associations, which symbolised a broad-based approach to the crisis.
In an interview on Arise Television Morning Show, Shettima discussed the Tinubu administration's palliative regime, and critical issues of targeting efficacy, specifically how effectively the initiatives were reaching the most vulnerable populations.
She also spoke on the mechanisms in place to ensure transparency, accountability, and probity in the distribution of the palliatives and other related issues.
While answering a question on the quantity of rice sent to Kano State, Shettima confirmed that "19 trucks of 25kg bags of rice" had been sent to the state."
She added, "This is just the beginning of the palliative distribution across the nation."
Shettima expressed confidence in Tinubu's commitment to the welfare of the vulnerable and national economic growth.
IGP Orders Reconstruction of Damaged Police Facilities
Egbetokun ordered the reconstruction of police facilities damaged by the devastating flood in Borno State. He gave the order when he paid a scheduled visit to the state to sympathise with the government and people of Borno over the flood that wreaked havoc on some communities in the state.
A statement by the force Public Relations Officer (PRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the IGP was accompanied during the visit by Deputy Inspectors General of Police, Department of Finance and Administration, DIG Bala Ciroma, and Department of Operations, DIG Ede Ayuba, along with the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Airwing, AIG Danladi Lalas.
While reaffirming the commitment of the police to provide adequate security for residents of the state, the IGP expressed his sympathy with the governor on behalf of the entire police family in Nigeria.
Egbetokun promised to set in motion machinery to repair the damaged police facilities in the affected communities.
Zulum appreciating the IGP for his love and commitment towards reforming the police. He also commended the police boss for his sterling leadership qualities.
