Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas on Wednesday met with the Vice President, Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where they discussed extensively on the flooding incident in Maiduguri, Borno state.
The meeting, which was also to commiserate with the VP who hails from Borno State, afforded them an opportunity to brainstorm on immediate intervention measures to adopt.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu upon being briefed of the situation in Maiduguri, ordered the deployment of the National Emergency Management Agency to assist the flood victims.
The President had given the directive through a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga on Tuesday, where he described the flood as the worst in recent decades.
The flood was reported to have displaced thousands of residents and affected facilities such as the Post office and the Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
The President extended his heartfelt condolences to the government and people of the State, especially to the families that have lost their means of livelihood due to the disaster triggered by the overflow of the Alau Dam.
Reacting to the incident shortly after meeting the Vice President, Tajudeen said “I am here today to commiserate with his Excellency, the Vice President, over the devastating flooding incidents in Maiduguri.
“That is the purpose of my visit here, and I used the opportunity to discuss extensively on the problems and the situation of the people, particularly those affected in Maiduguri.
“We have also designed some strategies and solutions by both the NASS and the Presidency that will be implemented in the next few days to bring succour to the victims of the flood in Maiduguri”.
Tajudeen also spoke on the N3billion intervention funds earmarked for the flood victims, assuring that measures have been put in place to evenly distribute the materials.
His words, “With the governor, that is known for transparency. The governor of Borno, Babagana Zulum, I am absolutely sure that whatever will be provided for them from the Presidency will be judiciously distributed, so I have no fear about that”.
He said beyond Borno, intervention measures were also being considered for flood prone states like Kaduna among others.
“Yes, certainly, like my own state, Kaduna, it has similar flood incidents, some few weeks ago and we have taken measures to also address that by giving palliatives and we have also reached out to NEMA, advising them to also assist the victims there.
“We are making efforts with the Governor of Niger state to see what we can do from our end as NASS to help, and all other states that are affected we will do what we can to help,” he stated.
Speaker Abbas, VP Shettima brainstorm over flooding in Borno, other states