The Kogi State Governor, Mr. Yahaya Bello, has appreciated the federal government for its various interventions in support of those that were affected by the recent flood and for assistance delivered for vulnerable people in the state.
Receiving the Honorable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Ms. Sadiya Umar Farouq, at the Government House, Lokoja, Bello also thanked the minister for the various economic empowerment programmes of the ministry that were being implemented in the state with the aim of lifting the poor residence out of poverty.
The Governor, who was represented by the State Head of Service, Mrs. Hannah Onyinoyi Odiyo, also thanked the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), for relief items delivered to the state and distributed to the flood affected persons.
In her remarks, Farouq said that she was in the state to flag off disbursement of various economic empowerment programmes in line with policy direction of the federal government to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.
She assured that the ministry would continue to provide support to flood affected persons, adding that a detailed assessment was being conducted to determine the extent of damages and losses caused by the disaster.
In his remark, the Director General NEMA, Mr. Mustapha Habib Ahmed, who was represented by the Director Relief and Rehabilitation, Mr. Alhassan Nuhu, said that the agency deployed its staff with relevant equipment to Kogi State for search and rescue in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy.
He said that the agency delivered relief items to assist communities that were affected by the flood and has commenced detailed assessment of the disaster to determine the extent of the losses and damages in the state.