To upgrade Mokwa community after the flood that claimed over 200 lives, President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate release of ₦2 billion for the reconstruction of houses damaged after the natural disaster occurred in Niger State.
Aside from that, Tinubu ordered that the immediate release of 20 trucks of rice bags to complement other relief items distributed by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to the affected residents of Mokwa.
The approval was disclosed by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, during a visit to Mokwa on Wednesday, following the devastating flood that destroyed lives and property, and left hundreds displaced.
Assuring that President Tinubu’s heart is with the people, Shettima said that all the issues affecting the people would be addressed, saying the affected bridges in the area be repaired immediately to aid movement of goods and services.
On the issue of drainage, Shettima said that the President had also directed the immediate rehabilitation of drainages in Mokwa town to prevent future occurrence in the state.
This came hours after the Niger State Government disclosed that over 200 bodies have been recovered after flood wreaked havoc in communities.
The Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs in Niger State, Ahmad Suleiman, who disclosed this to newsmen, said efforts were still on to recover more barely one week after the tragedy occurred.
“We have more than 200 casualties or corpses but we are still looking for more. We are still recovering corpses up till now.
“Nobody can tell you the number of casualties in Niger State right now because up till now, we are still looking for some corpses,” Suleiman said while speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday.
He said the state government had activated an emergency response for the distribution of relief materials to the displaced victims of the floods, who are taking shelter in makeshift camps.
A scene of the devastation caused by the flood in Mokwa, Niger State.
“The Niger State Government has put things in place and there are lots of contributions from various agencies and ministries. The damage on the ground now, you cannot get it on social media except a visit to the scenes. There is lots of damage at the moment.
“The state government has sent trailers of rice to the victims. The wife of the governor also visited the local government yesterday and donated N50m,” he added.
