- Announces Creation Of Disaster Relief Fund For Flood Victims
- Visits Flood Victims At IDP Camp In Maiduguri
- Says his Thoughts And Prayers Are With Borno people
- Maiduguri’s Situation Is Quite Frightening- Nema
- Some residents still trapped – Ndume
In light of the recent flood disaster, President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has arrived in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
After arriving at 3:40 pm, the Nigerian leader went to one of the emergency camps to offer his sympathies to the victims of the flood and gave the displaced people there an assurance that his government would support them.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the families who have lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods in the catastrophe.
“I stand with the resilient people of Borno and assure you of the continuous support of the Federal Government in providing support and relief as we work together to rebuild lives and restore hope”—President Bola Tinubu wrote in the condolence register at the Shehu of Borno’s palace in Maiduguri on Monday.
“I want to assure you that we will support you. We will help you. God bless you,” Tinubu said.
READ ALSO: Flood Wreaks Havoc in Borno, Displaces Many, Inmates Escape
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio; the Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari; and the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mele Kyari, accompanied the President.
The President was received at the Maiduguri Air Force Base by Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, who had arrived earlier in the day to inspect police facilities affected by the flood. The Governors of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq; Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, the Governors’ Forum Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party; Kogi State, Ahmed Ododo; and Sokoto State, Ahmed Aliyu was also present to greet the President.
The National Emergency Management Agency reported that the flood began after the Alau Dam overflowed following heavy rains, leading to the worst flooding the town has experienced in 30 years, according to the United Nations Human Rights Refugee Council and residents of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council.
NEMA stated that more than 23,000 households were affected by the rapid rise of water following the weekend rupture of the Alau Dam on the Ngadda River, located 20 km south of Maiduguri.
Reports indicate that the water had receded after submerging 70 per cent of Maiduguri, according to NEMA.
“The death toll is 30,” National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesman Ezekiel Manzo told AFP a day after water from an overflowing dam swept away thousands of homes in the capital city of Borno state.
“The situation in Maiduguri is quite frightening,” said Manzo’s NEMA colleague Zubaida Umar.
“The flood has taken over around 40 percent of the entire city. People have been forced out of their homes and are scattered everywhere.
READ ALSO: Flooding In Borno: Death Toll Rises To 30, 1 Million Displaced
“From our statistics, we have 414,000 displaced people,” Umar said. He told the BBC’s Hausa language service that officials feared that number could reach one million.
The flood devastated major city landmarks, including the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Umar Ibn Garbai El-Kanemi, the state secretariat, the post office, the cemetery, and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
The flood also swept away 80 per cent of the animals at the Sanda Kyarimi Park Zoo and caused damage to houses, schools, as well as commercial and worship centres.
President Tinubu had earlier expressed deep concerns over the flooding and tasked relevant government agencies to expedite rescue efforts. He also called for the immediate evacuation of residents in communities overtaken by floods.
Meanwhile,The senator representing Borno South, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has asked the federal government to dredge communities affected by flooding in Borno State to ease out water so that residents who are trapped can be rescued.
In a statement on Monday in Abuja, Ndume said most residents trapped in their communities were yet to be rescued.
READ ALSO: The Real Story: FG Gives Root Cause Of Borno Flood
Senator Ndume said;“We really need to help make sure that people do not continue to suffer. Some of them have been in their houses for the last six days.
“What the federal government needs to do is to come and do the survey and get dredging equipment and get to the discharge of the Alau Dam and try to excavate the water way out so that the water can flow and go otherwise the aftermath will be more disastrous.
“Most buildings that were submerged are not strong, and if they continue to stay in water, they will collapse. Most people trapped in their communities are still there because it is only boats that the Nigerian military, other security agencies, and the state government are using to rescue people there.
“I am using this opportunity to move a motion since we are on recess for the federal government to intensify action against the plight of the victims of the insurgency.”
