BY: MAIMUNA M. BULAMA, SEPTEMBER 16, 2024/ 10:24AM
Thousands of flood victims taking refuge in 36 camps across Maiduguri Metropolis and environs have received relief materials and cash assistance from the Borno State Government.
Governor Babagana Umara Zulum flagged off the distribution of relief items, including 25kg bags of rice, cartons of pasta, and N10,000 cash, at the Bakasi camp along Damboa Road in Maiduguri.
'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,' Gov. Zulum said, deploring the influx of non-affected individuals into the camps.
He explained that the decision to distribute relief materials was made to ensure that each affected victim received support.
'So we decided to mobilise the resources and ensure that each affected victim had the relief items,' he said.
The governor also announced plans to conduct a comprehensive assessment of affected areas to inform future interventions.
'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 added.
The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, highlighted her agency's interventions, including providing shelters and mobile water purifiers to affected communities.
The Borno State Government has acknowledged donations from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and has urged others to complement the government's efforts in assisting victims.