The federal government has called on high-spirited individuals and stakeholders in Nigerians to support those affected by flood to ameliorate their suffering amid the devastating impact of flood in some states in the country.
LEADERSHIP reports that as the ravaging floods finally recede across the country after weeks of havoc, the natural disaster has recorded about 40 percent increase in the figure of internally displaced persons (IDPs), bringing the number of IDPs to about 5 million from 3.4 million as contained in 2021 Displacement Tracking Matrix carried out by (UNHCR) Matrix Index as well as the International Organization of Migration (IOM).
The minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, represented by the Ministry’s permanent secretary, Dr Nasir Sani Gwarzo, made the appeal when receiving relief materials from the Care Park Family (TCPF).
The food and non-food items donated to the ministry which are all made in Nigeria products include; mosquito nets, raincoats, beverages, cornflakes, sugar, toothbrush, toothpaste, vegetable oil, garri, salt, sanitizer, torchlight, tomato pastes, plantain chips, and others.
The director of Operations Supply Chain and Distribution, Omowunmi Imoukhuede, TCPF, who presented the items on behalf of the organisation at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, weekend, sympathised with flood-affected states and their victims.
The minister lauded the group over its move of patriotism and also hail them over its move of patriotism.
Umar Farouq, however, assured that the relief materials would as a matter of urgency be handed over to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to distribute the materials to flood-affected victims.
She said: “Honestly, you deserve a very big round of applause. So, you see why the Minister said it is timely, appropriate, and thoughtful. She didn’t leave room for me to add another word but I struggled to add one: it is passionate.
“I was deeply touched by the emotions that were running in the mind of the presenter when she was mentioning, we may not be directly affected but we are all in it. This is one situation where donations are made and immediately matched with action.
“So, the truck has already been given to NEMA and NEMA sent a truck and we brought in out of those samples to be presented. So, the speed with which this has been sent made me resolve that this will not enter our store, not because we don’t need them in the store. We will hand them over immediately to NEMA.”
She, however, called on Nigerians “to come to the aid of fellow Nigerians that are in need.”
While commending the Ministry, Imoukhuede said that as much as the government is carrying out its bid to ensure that it delivers on its mandates on protecting lives and properties, the citizens are also duty-bound to complement the efforts of the government.
Imoukhuede said: “We commend the ministry and we thank the government. The government as much as they try to do everything, can’t do everything.
“So, it means that the citizens of the country also have to help the government by abiding by the rules, the regulations and also being empathetic and sympathetic to our fellow Nigerians, especially in this time of need.
“We at the Care Pack Family are dedicated to supporting the private sector, government, or agencies when it comes to making sure that people have the right essential products and food and beverage items that they need to have a good livelihood.
“We couldn’t sit back as Nigerians and watch what is going on now and not come forward to see what we can do to help relieve the situation.”
“For this particular day, we thank you for allowing us to present what we have and what we’ve brought. In these bags, we call care packs. They are of different sizes with different types of items inside of them. We’ve also partnered with our technical partner business visa, to be able to make sure we have the right products and people are getting the right items that they need. All our products are made in Nigeria. All these bags that you see here are made in Nigeria and we are very passionate about also patronising other Nigerian businesses to help Nigerians in actual need.”
The director general, NEMA, Ahmed Habib, said: “I want to use this opportunity to sincerely appreciate our esteemed donors for this exemplary support to the Ministry and to vulnerable groups of Nigerians that have suffered all types of disasters, especially the most recent flood.
“I want to use this opportunity to assure you that the relief materials that will be handed over to NEMA will be deployed immediately and directly to end users to ensure that the objective of the intervention is met.”
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