Months after the Federal Government constituted a committee led by business mogul, Aliko Dangote to raise funds to cushion the effect of the last flood on those affected by the disaster across the country, the monies are yet to get to the real victims, Weekly Trust survey has shown.
Investigation revealed that the funds raised by the committee for victims in Plateau state have been paid to the Plateau State Government. However, sources confirmed to our reporters that the funds have not been disbursed to victims of the July and August flood disasters which claimed the lives of about 80 persons in Jos north and five other local government areas in the southern part of the state.A source within the Plateau State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), confirmed that although the funds has reached the state the authorities are still deciding on how and when the funds will be disburse.
It was not certain how much was given to the Plateau State Government by the Dangote Committee, but Kogi state which was ranked as a Grade A affected area by the federal government, received N500 million intervention grant to cushion the effect of the flood on the displaced victims.Some victims in the state said they are yet to receive money from the state government. The flood affected nine local government areas in the state and displaced about 623,690 people.
Weekly Trust learnt that the flood which affected over 5,000 farmers, destroyed property estimated at over N40 billion, while it lasted.
Penultimate week, the state government announced that N139, 500,000.00 was shared to the affected local government areas according to the extent of damages.
Councils that fell in group ‘A’ got N20 million each; those in groups ‘B’ got N15 million, while those under group ‘C’ got N10 million each.
Ibaji, Lokoja, Bassa local government areas got N20 million each; Kogi, Ajaokuta and Idah council got N15 million, while Igalamela- Odolu, Ofu and Omala local government areas were given N10 million each.
Ibaji, Lokoja, Bassa local government areas got N20 million each; Kogi, Ajaokuta and Idah council got N15 million, while Igalamela- Odolu, Ofu and Omala local government areas were given N10 million each.
However, individual flood victims said they are yet to receive any money from the state or local government authorities. The state’s Deputy Governor, Yomi Awoniyi, who doubles as the state’s chairman of the flood committee, recently told journalists that the money is intact and plans are under way to resettle the victims.
A state government source also told our reporter that apart from the N500 million intervention funds earlier released to the state by the federal government, they are yet to receive any other fund from the presidential committee on flood. He said the victims only received relief materials from the Dangote-led presidential committee on flood.
The story is the same in Niger state where about 25 local government areas were ravaged by flood. Former minister of Information, Dora Akunyili visited the state in December last year under the auspices of the Dangote- led flood committee and donated some items to the flood victims through the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA).
An official of NSEMA, Garba Salihu, said Akunyili told the victims in Lapai that she came with small items to give them succor before the actual donations reach them.
Meanwhile the Adamawa state government said it has disbursed the N500,000,000 relief assistance given to the victims of the state by the federal government, saying no penny was diverted.
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state through its publicity secretary, Yohanna Mathias had accused the state government of tactically diverting the relief funds for local government campaigns.
ACN, while applauding President Goodluck Jonathan for responding quickly to assist the flood victims, he said those the N500,000, 000 relief funds were meant for can only benefit maximally from them if such money are treated as Special Intervention Fund and disbursed directly to affected persons.
According to him, flood victims have continued to lament their plights, and have not received any assistance from the state government despite the release of the fund to it since the past three weeks.
Responding to this claim, the state’s flood fund disbursement committee headed by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Kobis Thinnu Ari, said the fund was judiciously disbursed across the affected local government areas of the state.
The chairman said that the money was disbursed according to extent of damages with Lamurde, the worst affected local government, getting N29 million, Numan N24 million and Yola South N19 million. He noted that commissioners, traditional and religion leaders were involved in the disbursement exercises.
Mr Emmanuel Nbalang, a farmer in Numan Local Government Area said that the federal government’s relief materials were the first of its kind because the materials got to them directly. He complained that he lost a house, three farm land and some domestic animals to the flood.
Nbalang expressed shock that only N450 million was given to him out of the initial sum of N500 million released to the state by the federal government.
The state Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Walia Hamma, confirmed that the money was not channeled through the ministry but was released directly to the state governments’ coffers. He said the ministry’s office at Yola only received an allocation of 1,500 tonnes of grains, in which about 750 tonnes is being distributed.
Speaking to Weekly Trust, the Chairman of the Senate committee on Environment, Sen. Bukola Saraki said his committee wasn’t part of the Dangote committee, so he isn’t aware of what went on in the affected states. “ Notwithstanding we are doing our best as custodians in charge of the environment to make sure that those people are well incorporated back into the society. We are working to know what the committee is doing and the extent they have reached in disbursing the funds to affected communities.”
Weekly Trust
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