National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has formally presented food items and other relief materials to flood victims in Bayelsa State.
The presentation yesterday followed weeks of protests from the state government and stakeholders over the delay and lacklustre attitude displayed towards the state despite the last month directive by President Muhammadu Buhari for all interventionist agencies to help all the states ravaged by flood with grains and other items.
The director-general of NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, while presenting the items to the state government, said the federal government had approved the release of 12,000 metric tons of assorted grains from the National Strategic Reserve Stock for distribution to all states of the federation and the FCT, including Bayelsa state.
Ahmed, who was represented by the director of Search and Rescue in NEMA, Air Commodore Edward Kolawole Adedokun, stated that the items are expected to give succor to the most vulnerable groups of persons who were displaced by flood.
He said, “The items include; 1105 metric tons of maize (2,100 bags of 50kg) 88.7 metric tons of sorghum (1,774 bags of 50kg), 98.7 metric tons of garri (3,948 bags of 25kg).