- Safiu Kehinde
The Borno Government has disbursed food and relief materials to 63,000 victims of recent floods in Ngala Local Government Area (LGA).
Targeted at Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and members of host communities severely affected by the disaster, the relief items, donated by the Federal Government, included essential food grains such as maize, sorghum, and millet, alongside cash assistance.
The Director-General of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr MohammadBarkindo, who supervised the week-long exercise, said that vulnerable households were prioritised.
Barkindo commended Gov. Babagan Zulum for his unwavering commitment to humanitarian efforts and expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for its timely intervention.
“This town has been completely cut off from the rest of the state for about four months due to heavy rainfall and flooding.
“The movement of food and essential items to Ngala had been severely disrupted. This intervention aims to alleviate the hardship faced by the people in this LGA,” Barkindo said.
Zulum had, on the 15th of November, visited Ngala Local Government Area to assess the severe damage caused by flooding in the region.
Gamboru Ngala, a market town located along the shores of Lake Chad near the Cameroon-Nigeria border, has been significantly affected by the heavy rains and flooding.
Zulum, who spent the night in the area, expressed his sympathy to the affected communities.
He also reassured residents that his administration, in partnership with the federal government, would provide necessary support and solutions to prevent future flooding disasters.
Large portion of the town was submerged in water, which had made it difficult for residents to access food supplies.
During his visit, Zulum appealed to the community to avoid building homes on waterways to mitigate the impact of flooding in the future.
He acknowledged the severity of the situation and emphasized the need for both immediate and long-term measures to address the flooding.
As part of his relief efforts, Zulum distributed food items to the affected residents, which were donated to the state by the federal government.