The Federal Government distributed relief items to victims of the Abia State flood disaster on Friday.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Director-General, Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed, delivered the supplies to the State government on behalf of the federal government.
Ifeanyi Nnaji, Head of NEMA’s Owerri Operations Office, spoke on behalf of the director general and said that the gesture was part of the ongoing relief efforts for those impacted by the state’s flood disaster.
In November, he recalled, the organisation had arrived in the region to start distributing food and non-food relief supplies.
The NEMA boss said the second phase of the distribution involved food items only.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the items included rice, beans, maize, salt, vegetable oil, seasoning cubes and tin tomatoes.
He said: “We hope and believe that the beneficiaries are going to be happy because the items are not to pay back for what they have lost, but just to cushion the effect.
“It is to make them feel the impact of government and also have a way to come back to life.
“I, therefore, emphasise that communities that are vulnerable to natural disasters must embark on Disaster Risk Reduction Initiative to curtail losses during disasters.”
He commended Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu 0f Abia, for his effort in attending to disaster issues in the state.
Receiving the items on behalf of the State Government, Dr Sunday Jackson, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) commended the Federal Government for its timely response.
He said that the relief materials from NEMA would go a way to cushion the effect of the 2022 flood disaster in the state.
Jackson said that 52 communities in 16 local government areas were ravaged by the flood disaster.
He assured that the items would be distributed transparently in the presence of all concerned.