Flood: Southern lawmakers accuse NEMA of excluding region in distribution of relief materials

Palpable tension, yesterday, greeted the investigative public hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on Ecology on the probe into the total consolidated accruals and utilization of ecological funds, as some members of the committee from the south accused the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, of excluding the region in the distribution of relief materials to disaster victims.

At the resumed hearing, the Director-General of NEMA, Ahmed Mustapha, told the committee that about 1,427,370 displaced persons in all the states of the federation and the FCT had been reached by the agency in terms of distribution of the relief, both in food and non food items, to cushion the effects of the disasters on them.

But a member of the committee, Oghuma Johnson (APC, Edo), expressed dissatisfaction with the submission of the NEMA boss, adding that no flood victim had been reached in his state to his knowledge.

Johnson said: “In the whole of my area, we do not have any assembly members and you said you informed assembly members from my state and I am here. It is my own federal constituency that is swallowed up by the flood.

”I moved a motion concerning my federal constituency and that is the only way they communicate to you. I do not have any personal relationship with you. I don’t have to ask you for anything because I do not need anything from you.

“For my people, they are part of Nigeria and I want to put it to you that you people were not appointed to be partial. You swore an oath before you took your office. The way you treat some of us from this area, is that the same way you are treating other people?

”I am bitter because of the way you have abandoned these people. My state is never recognized. You have never done anything in Edo State and you call yourself NEMA. Is NEMA not Nigeria? Is it a regional organization?”

Similarly, another member of the committee from Ogun State, Adewunmi Onanuga (APC) alleged that NEMA activities were opaque in the south.

He said: “Mr, I am a member of the committee directly overseeing NEMA. I do not have relationship with that agency. I have written twice to the agency with regards to the issues in my state and my federal constituency.

”Not once has anyone called me. I do no know whether you deal only with the state actors. It is highly unfair. When we came for oversight in Lagos, I think my state is under that jurisdiction, not once did we get any information with regard to what NEMA is doing in the whole of that area.

”I don’t have any issues with the DG but I have issues with the agency as a whole and I know I speak for a lot of members who are representatives of Nigerians. These are issues I think need to be dealt with,” she said.

Giving details of consolidated accruals and ecological fund utilization from 2011 – 2022, the NEMA DG explained that the sum of N112 billion was spent in disaster management activities nationwide.

He, however, said that 2010 expenditures could not be rendered as the documents were vandalized during the #EndSARS protests, stressing that police extract to that effect had been obtained.

He also submitted that 2022 flood disaster was the worst in history.

He said: “As predicted, the 2022 flood hit the country with devastating consequences, impacted thousands of communities and wreaked havoc in all the 36 states of the federation and the FCT. A total of 612 persons lost their lives, 3,219,780 persons were affected, 1,427,370 persons were displaced and 2,776 others suffered various degrees of injuries.

”A total of 181,600 houses were partially damaged, while 123,807 houses were totally damaged. A total of 176,852 hectares of farmland were partially destroyed, while 392,300 hectares of farmland got totally destroyed as a result of the floods.”

Senate asks FG to release N500bn from Service Wide Vote

Meanwhile, worried by the level of flooding in the country, which has rendered many homeless and billions of property destroyed, the Senate has asked the Federal Government to allocate N500 billion from the Service Wide Vote to the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, for the urgent rehabilitation of roads ravaged by the 2022 floods.

It also directed that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme should be expanded to cover maintenance of failed sections of federal roads across the country.

Resolutions of the Senate yesterday were sequel to a motion by Senator Gershom Bassey, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Cross River South

Presenting the motion, Senator Bassey noted that this year’s floods were the worst Nigeria had experienced in decades, saying the rise in water level was more than 2012 and 2020 episodes.

He noted that the 2022 floods had further worsened the deplorable state of Nigeria’s federal roads, stressing that the devastated roads should be urgently rehabilitated to forestall carnage on the roads.

According to him, the justification for the proposed money became imperative because some major inter-state roads are impassable.

The lawmaker also noted that water had washed off most parts of the roads and bridges, creating economic and human security crises.

Bassey, who pointed out that road transportation is the major means of transportation in Nigeria, since air transportation and others are not within the reach of most Nigerians, said the heavy vehicular and human movements of Nigerians, associated with the end of year festivities, would be impacted negatively as a result of the deplorable state of roads, occasion by the 2022 flood.