CITING the need for proper coordination, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has indicated that it was the responsibility of the various councils to reach out to trapped flood victims in their localities and report their plight to the agency.
NEMA Northwest Zonal Coordinator, Alhaji Musa Ilallah, who stated this recently while presenting relief materials to flood victims in Ringim Council of Jigawa State, said the councils should intimate the agency of their findings, adding that based on their report, NEMA would deploy relief materials to such areas.
He said NEMA, SEMA, WHO, UNICEF and the local government joint committee were constituted to ensure the relief materials were distributed equitably to avoid diversion.
He added: "Part of what we did last week was to go round to select some of those local government areas, and meanwhile we are trying to do a comprehensive report and intervention for the affected victims.
"Last week, the joint committee of NEMA, SEMA, WHO, UNICEF was in Jigawa and they sampled one local government council each in each of the three senatorial districts and while we were here we went to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Ringim and we realised that they were in serious need of further assistance from NEMA."
Ilallah pointed out that he spoke with the director general over the matter and that he approved for relief items for the victims. Earlier, the Ringim Council chairman, Murtala Abubakar, who was represented by his secretary, Ismaila Isah Gabarin, raised alarm over the plight of more than 1,000 trapped victims in four villages who had not been reached by NEMA or government officials.
He said the villages include Dusukur, Tanti, Iboma and Waron dudun, adding that they were difficult terrains as they are surrounded by River Hadejia, a situation which he said, made it difficult to reach the areas.
Abubakar said the council has purchased canoes to help them get to the communities, adding that they are exploring all avenues with the councilor representing the villages to reach the people.
