Flood: NDDC sends relief materials to Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Imo

A statement by the commission’s Director, Corporate Affairs, Dr. Toye Abosede, said the materials were delivered to the three States on different dates to ameliorate the suffering of the victims.

At the Banquet Hall in Yenagoa, the NDDC Acting Managing Director, Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua, said the Commission shared in the pains of the people of the state following the devastating flood.

Audu-Ohwavborua, who was represented by the Deputy Director Health and Social Services, Dr. Patience Ezeugwu, said that President Buhari and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Obong Umana Okon Umana, intervened promptly to ease the hardship caused by the flood.

He said: “We share in the pains of the victims of the flood disaster in Bayelsa State. We realise you have lost a lot which cannot be replaced. We assure you that the NDDC has very good programmes for the people of the Niger Delta region. Nobody will be left behind in the distribution of the palliatives.”

At the 26 Squadron Police Force, MOPOL Base, in Uyo, Audu-Ohwavborua, reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to ameliorate the challenges facing the people of the oil-rich region.

He declared that the NDDC would soon restart its flagship programme for free medical outreaches to various communities in the Niger Delta region.

“This will bring critical life-saving healthcare services nearer to the in under-served communities across the Niger Delta Region, especially at this time when flood has disrupted healthcare systems and infrastructure with potential for epidemics like Cholera”, he said.

Also at the NDDC Imo State Office, Owerri, Audu-Ohwavborua, said that it was part of the commission’s intervention to ameliorate the sufferings of the people of the affected areas.

“This is a continuation of the commission’s intervention in the Niger Delta region. We have also flagged off the distribution of relief materials in Rivers and Delta states and will do so in other states in the coming days.

“We hope that these relief items will help to cushion the effects of the flood and provide succour to the vulnerable flood victims, especially during this yuletide season.”

In his remarks, the Director Bayelsa State Office, NDDC, Theophilus Allagoa said almost every community in the state was affected by the flood.

He said: “The NDDC is not only about building roads and physical infrastructure, we also intervene in social services. We will monitor the distribution of these palliatives to ensure that they get to the affected areas.”

The Chairman, Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency, Sam Igurubia, commended the NDDC for supporting the efforts of the Bayelsa State Government in ameliorating the challenges facing flood victims in the state.

He said: “What the NDDC has brought here to us is massive. We truly appreciate the efforts of the Commission. I assure you, everything brought by the flood victims will be equitably distributed to those concerned.”

The Director of NDDC Akwa Ibom State Office, Elder Obot Udoette, noted that the flood negatively impacted lives in Akwa Ibom State.

“This intervention will take place in all the NDDC mandate states because the Commission was set up to address situations such as this”, he said.

Responding on behalf of communities affected by flood in Akwa Ibom State, the
Clan Head of Ekid Offiong Community in Esit Eket Local Government Area, Chief Ñsoduok Etteado Ikot commended NDDC for the gesture.

The NDDC Director, Imo State Office, Tony Okanne, said that the donation of relief materials was necessary to assist the flood victims and prevent secondary disaster that would aggravate their pains.

Okanne urged the local government officials in the flood hit areas to judiciously distribute the materials to the victims in various communities in their local government areas.

The Chairman of Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area, Prince Marcel Amadioha, assured the NDDC that the relief items would get to each and every beneficiary.