Months After, N5bn Pledges Unfulfilled As Borno Flood C’ttee Ends Distribution

Two months after an outpouring of financial pledges to support relief efforts in the wake of the devastating floods that struck Maiduguri and Jere in Borno State in September, officials have said that some donors are yet to fulfil their commitments.

LEADERSHIP recalls that the floods, which submerged over 70 per cent of Maiduguri and some areas in Jere local government area of the State, destroyed both public and private property, killed more than 100 individuals, displacing hundreds of thousands of residents whose buildings were either destroyed or submerged.

The flood equally submerged and destroyed large hectares of farmland, roads, and other critical infrastructure in the devastated areas.

Heavy rains triggered the widespread flooding, which caused structural damage in the Bama, Damboa, and Gwoza local government areas of the state and led to the overflow and collapse of the Alau Dam.

Borno Government Officials yesterday said the flash floods covered a significant part of the state, with major impacts recorded in Maiduguri, Jere, Konduga, and Mafa local government areas.

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In the aftermath of the disaster, government agencies and other bodies, private sector leaders, non-governmental organisations, the Swiss government, and the United Nations pledged and donated billions of naira and foodstuff to support the people and government of the devastated state.

However, according to the officials of the Borno State Flood Disaster Relief Distribution Committee, many donors have not fulfilled their pledges.

The committee chair, Baba-Bukar Gujbawu, said that out of the over N20 billion, including foreign currency components pledged, only N12 billion had been received, while others had yet to redeem their pledges.

The situation remained unchanged as of 31 October, when the committee’s spokesperson, Dauda Iliya, confirmed that no additional funds had been received.

However, on Tuesday, 19 November, Mr Iliya said that the government had received an additional N3 billion, bringing the total to N15 billion.

This still left approximately N5 billion in unfulfilled pledges, as the committee was scheduled to wind up the distribution of relief materials yesterday, 20 November.

Meanwhile, the officials should have provided a detailed breakdown of the sources of the funds received and the outstanding amounts.