The Presidential Amnesty Office has begun the distribution of relief materials to Niger Delta communities affected by the recent flood.
He said that the exercise which started last Saturday will last for one week, with a focus on communities mostly hit by the flood.
Dokubo said that the gesture was aimed at providing succor for the residents of the affected communities who had lived in terrible conditions since their homes and sources of livelihood were destroyed by the flood.
According to him;
“the Amnesty Programme is meant for the people of Niger Delta and whatever affects communities in the region affects us directly or indirectly. President Muhammadu Buhari was moved by reports on your plight and we are here to identify with you in your period of need; we are here to alleviate your pains.”
Among the items distributed to the beneficiaries were rice, beans, indomie, groundnut oil, maggi, tomato, and detergents. Others were bathing soap, disinfectants, and medicals.
He said that in Bayelsa State, relief materials are being distributed in Adagbabiri, Odi, Trofani, Kaiama, Esampou, Zarama, Ogbeinbiri, and other communities, Opuama, Ofunama, Shekelewu, Ogbudugbudu, Arogbo, Safa-Arogbo, Agadagba Obon, Ajakoroama, Opugbini while several others in Edo and Ondo States would also benefit from the scheme.
Nine people lost their lives while over 200 houses were destroyed and numerous farm lands washed out by flood in Gombe between May and August, an official has said.
Mrs Lamis Benjamin, Deputy Director, Rescue and Rehabilitation, Gombe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), disclosed this to newsmen in Gombe on Thursday.
Benjamin said four out of the nine deaths were recorded in May following a downpour in Gombe town.
She said the remaining five deaths were recorded in Cham community of Balanga Local Government Area of the state in August also after a downpour.
The deputy director also said over 200 houses and numerous farm lands were washed away in Nyuwar, Jesu Cham in Balanga and Komta Ayaba in Biliri Local Government Areas.
According to her, the state government through SEMA acted promptly by providing 1,200 bags of maize as relief material to victims in the two councils.
“For now, 1,200 bags of 100kg of maize were distributed as relief material to the affected persons.
“We are now waiting for the National Emergency Management Agency to come with their relief materials,” she said.
She appealed to wealthy individuals and corporate bodies in the state to assist the needy to ameliorate the plight of the victims.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said a total of three thousand two hundred people (3,200) people were affected following the Thursday’s flooding in Federal Housing Egbu, Owerri North Government in Imo state.
The agency also disclosed that property worth over N50 millions were destroyed by the flood. The NEMA Coordinator, Owerri operations office, Mr Evans Ugoh, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday.
Ugoh said the primary cause of the heavy flooding in the area was the ongoing urban renewal embarked upon by the state government.
He explained that contractors working in various sites have destroyed the central drainage system, which was connected to the popular Otammiri River in the state.
Ugoh said the waterways were disorganised and the flood eventually found its way to the area where so many houses were submerged.
NAN reports that the down pour, which started early hours of Thursday, wreaked havoc in Federal Housing Egbu, bank road, Amakaohia.
Ugoh, however, lamented that contractors working in various sites in the ongoing urban renewal programme of Gov. Rochas Okorocha had caused more harm than good.
“Our drainage is gone and most houses built on the waterways will continue to have this problem until the anomaly is corrected”, he said.
He advised that Imo government to implore uncommon courage and willpower to demolish all the houses built on the waterways.
He also advised the government to ensure close monitoring on contractors working in various sites and mandate them to channel the waterways properly.
The NEMA boss disclosed that he has requested for some relief materials, saying that NEMA will intervene in due soon.
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