The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has donated over 100,000 food and nonfood items to the victims of floods in the Northeast and emergency relief to the victims of Tuesday’s flood that ravaged the greater part of Maiduguri and environs.
The managing director of the NEDC, Mr Mohammed Alkali , who announced the donation of the items at the headquarters of the Commission on Wednesday, said the 18 senatorial districts and the 48 federal constituencies in the region would get the shares of the relief items.
He said 200,000 bags of rice; 150, 000 cartons of spaghetti and macaroni; 250,000 cartons of vegetable oil; 200,000 pieces of blankets; 200,000 pieces of mats, 50,000 pieces of brocade for men ; 50,000 wrappers; 65,000 children’s wears and 275,000 treated mosquito nets would be distributed to the victims of the flood in the region.
The NEDC boss added that victims of the recent flood in Maiduguri which occurred as a result of the collapse of the Alau Dam in Konduga local government area of the state would receive 10,000 bags of rice; 10,000 cartons of spaghetti; 15,000 branded matts , 15,000 blankets, 10,000 pieces of brocades and wrappers , 5000 cartons of cooking oil; 5000 pieces of children’s wears and 7,500 pieces of children’s wears.
“ Today, we are here in Maiduguri, tomorrow we are going to Gombe to assess a collapsed bridge with a view to rehabilitate it. We are going to use political structure to distribute the palliatives. This is short term intervention but the commission has a policy dimension for the medium and long term development of the region,” Alkali said.
On the collapsed Alau Dam, the MD/ CEO of NEDC, said the commission has awarded the contract for the rehabilitation of the dam and the spill-way, adding that with the recent development, the commission will review the contract for total overhaul to curtail the repeat of what has befallen the state.
He recalled that the commission had some days ago evacuated about 150,000 meters of drainage in the Maiduguri metropolis, in addition to the fumigation of the same areas.