Persons displaced by the flooding which ravaged nine local government areas of Nasarawa State, are complaining over the seeming absence of a disbursement structure by the state government to dispense the relief funds sent by the federal government recently.
Many parts of Nasarawa State suffered severe flooding, much of which are located along the Benue River and its tributaries. The river overflowed recently after a dam in the neighbouring country of Cameroon was said to have been opened to let out massive water which stormed into some Nigerian states including Nasarawa, displacing thousands. Some persons also lost their lives in the flooding in the state, while survivors are now camping in open places or relatives' homes.
The displaced persons spoken to told Daily Trust that they have waited for the federal government relief funds, without any information about when it will be disbursed to them, for them to begin to pick up pieces of their lives.
"We heard the federal government has released the funds to Nasarawa, but we are not been told when the relief will reach us", said a displaced person who spoke to Daily Trust on phone from Umaisha, a town camping thousands.
Another, a displaced person in Toto, said equally, "we are disturbed; no information about when the money will reach us. We have continued to wait."
Nasarawa State governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, recently embarked on an air tour, visiting communities displaced by the floods, to ascertain the extent of damage, in what will lead to the disbursement of the funds.
But close to two weeks after, no information has gone out on government's preparedness to disburse the funds.
This is part of Umaisha, a dry land now under water after the Benue River surge.
State commissioner for Environment, Salisu Ugah who accompanied the governor during the tour, told Daily Trust that the state has since received the funds, but insisted that "I don't know when."
He said "the funds are yet to be distributed. I don't know when", adding he does not know when a committee will be set up by government to carry out the disbursement, although he said the setting up of the committee was recently discussed at the executive meeting of the government.
He said he is hopeful that at the end of a workshop currently going on in Abuja, where the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) is in attendance, the committee for disbursement will be set up by government.
He gave the local governments affected by the floods as Lafia, Awe, Doma, Keana, Akwanga, Nasarawa, Kokona and Toto.
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