The presidency says the call for the resignation of Sadiya
Umar Farouq, minister of humanitarian affairs, is “not appropriate”.
The Niger Delta caucus in the house of representatives had
asked the minister to resign following her recent comment on Bayelsa not being
one of the states most affected by flooding.
Reacting to the development on Wednesday, Garba Shehu,
presidential spokesman, said the federal government is equally concerned about
the flooding in Bayelsa as well as that in other states.
“Calls from some quarters for the resignation of the
minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development
are not appropriate in this climate,” he said in a statement.
“Almost every state
in Nigeria has been affected. The Federal Government is concerned about what
has happened in Bayelsa as it is with respect to the other states. No life lost
is bigger or lesser than that of the others.
“The challenge of bringing succour to the large number of
the displaced people in Bayelsa and other states, the restoration of their
damaged property and farmlands washed away have clearly overwhelmed disaster
management efforts so far, but that is not to say no efforts are being made.
“The huge need for everything from foodstuff to tents,
blankets and mosquito nets; antimalarial and other drugs clearly indicate that
more resources are needed, not only by the disaster management agencies at the
center but also by those at the State and local council levels that are
structurally, the first responders.
“The minister has been diligently working to target
assistance where it’s most needed and plug the gaps in several state
governments’ disaster responses.
“The state of Bayelsa has done commendably well but they
certainly can do better with increased Federal assistance, which is still being
delivered batch by batch.
“All these efforts are coming ahead of the report of the
committee under the auspices of the Nigerian Governors Forum, set up by the
president to fashion out solutions and then escalate their conclusions to the
federal government, to alleviate the plight of people currently being ravaged
by floods around the country.
“This is just as more is being expected by way of
international response and how much difference can be made by support from
businesses and nonprofits as the country deals with its worst flooding in
decades.
“We hope that everyone, the agencies of the federal
government, the states and the local councils will increase the attention to
pay to the challenges of climate change.
“Clearly, this is not a time for public reproach. It will
only weaken our collective response to the tragedy, and ultimately hinder
cooperation that saves lives and delivers emergency aid.
“The government at the centre will continue to do more for Bayelsa and for all states so affected as more and more resources are made available to agencies dealing.”
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