Alhaji Sani Dododo, the Chairman, Kebbi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on Thursday said government had established Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps across the state as a result of flooding.
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He made this known when Jack Rich Aid Foundation paid a sympathy visit to Kebbi State Government at the Cabinet Office in Birnin Kebbi.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the foundation is a philanthropic Organisation under Belema Oil in Port Harcourt, Rivers.
Dododo said: “The floods had rendered many people homeless, a large number of houses have collapsed and this led to establishment of 52,911 IDP centres across the state as at 12 midnight yesterday (Wednesday).
“All these are breakdown of Local Government by Local Government, in Argungu town alone we have nine IDP centres.
“The worse hit Local Government Areas are three; Bagudo, Koko-Bese and Yauri in terms of loosing farmlands and displaced persons.”
The chairman explained that of the 102 LGs across Nigeria to be affected by flood according to NIMET’s forecast, 11 LGs were in Kebbi State.
He listed the LGs to include: Augie, Argungu, Bunza, Birnin-Kebbi, Bagudo, Koko-Bese, Dandi, Shanga, Yauri, Ngaski and Zuru, adding that the flood had extended to 18 LGs of the state.
Dododo said that many towns and villages were completely submerged, adding that the state had encountered a lot of problems.
He, however, said the state government was doing everything humanly possible to cater for the affected victims.
“Just day before yesterday (Tuesday), we released 12 trucks of assorted grains to the worst hit LGAs, four trucks each to take care of themselves, apart from medication, security and water among other things.”
Dododo attributed the devastating flood to overflow of man-made-dam at Shagari which was done by former Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Muntari Shagari.
He also said Kebbi remained like a valley where Gwaranyo and Bakalori dams discharge water, saying that the state was just like a conduit pipe that channelled water down to Western part of Nigeria through river Niger.
Speaking, Alhaji Umar Baballe-Yauri, Secretary to State Government thanked the visitors for their kind concern.
He said: “On behalf of the State Government, I welcome you to Kebbi State and also appreciate your concern for the unfortunate flood incident in the state.
“The Chairman, SEMA had already briefed you on what really happened and how government is supporting the victims and things we lost.
“I would like to assign the Chairman SEMA to liaise with you to go about with disbursement of the relief materials. We are pleased with whatever you are going to bring and I hope you are also going to meet with our traditional rulers too who happened to be close to the people.”
Earlier, Mr Jack Rich,the President of the Foundation and owner of Belema Oil, Port-Harcourt, had said that the foundation was set up as a philanthropic organisation to support and help people in need across the 36 states of the Federation.
Represented by Malam Murtala Mohammed, Rich recalled that the foundation had built a N1 billion Children and Women Hospital in Daura, a N600 million project at Usmanu Danfodio University (UDU) in Sokoto, Women Centre in Kano as well as other projects in Yobe and Borno.
“Insha Allah, this is just the beginning of what Jack Rich is doing, there are four batches of relief materials and the first set are on their way, they have just left Sokoto.
“We have directed them to go straight to the palace of Emir of Gwandu so that our father will come and witness it and bless it before we start disbursement this evening or tomorrow with the support of our father,” he said.
He said the items included: Rice, Noddles and oil which would be distributed directly to the victims in their respective local government areas.