By Nkechi Eze
Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, expressed gratitude to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) during Director General Zubaida Umar’s visit to Lokoja. Represented by Deputy Governor Elder Joel Salifu, he praised NEMA’s swift response as a testament to the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting the state in mitigating the flood disaster’s impact. This acknowledgment underscores NEMA’s vital role in providing relief and rehabilitation efforts in affected regions, aligning with their mission to coordinate resources for efficient disaster prevention and response.
He however, appealed to the Federal Government to find lasting solution to the recurrent incident of flooding of communities located along the major rivers by constructing more dams and dredging the rivers.
In her remark, the Director General NEMA who was represented by the Director Planning Research and Foresting Dr Onimode Abdullahi Bandele who led the NEMA team to Lokoja assured that the Agency would collaborate with the state government to address the flood situation in the state especially with regards to the challenges faced by affected communities and displaced persons.
She said that the Agency had activated it’s operational office and deployed technical officers for rescue and evacuation operations as well as to also assess the extent of damages in collaboration with the State Emergency Management Agency,SEMA, and other relevant stakeholders.
The NEMA boss, while commending the State Government for establishing emergency shelters around Lokoja and other flood prone locations to accommodate displaced persons, noted that the NEMA had deployed it’s mobile water purifiers to ensure the availability of clean drinking water for the displaced persons.
The NEMA team visited some camps where some of the Internally Displaced Persons are taking temporary shelter.
