Follow Us on Google
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday lambasted the Director General, National Emergency Agency( NEMA), Mustapha Ahmed, for allegedly neglecting southern states in the distribution of relief materials to states affected by flooding.
The lawmakers, who spoke at an investigative hearing, organized by the House Committee on Ecological Fund, lamented that despite the havoc wrecked in their respective states, there is no evidence that NEMA has reached out to the victims.
The member representing Etsako Federal Constituency, Johnson Oghuma, said NEMA was treating some states as of they are not part of the country. A visibly angry Oghuma, who stormed out of the hearing really room after his speech, said the interventionist agency ought to be fair to every part of the country.
He said, “My own federal constituency that is swallowed up by the flood. I do not have any personal relationship with you. I don’t have to ask you for anything because I do not need anything from you. For my people, they are part of Nigeria and I want to put it to you that you people were not appointed to be partial.
“You swore an oath before you took your office. The way you treat some of us from this area, is that the same way you are treating other people? I am bitter because of the way you have abandoned these people. My state is never recognized. You have never done anything in Edo State and you call yourself NEMA. Is NEMA not Nigeria? Is it a regional organization?”
Similarly, Onanugu Adewunmi, from Ogun State, said the committee is not aware of NEMA intervention in the South West, noting that the situation must be reversed.
According to her, “not once did we get any information with regards to what NEMA is doing in the whole of that South West. I don’t have any issues with the DG, but I have issues with the Agency as a whole and I know I speak for a lot of members, who are representative of Nigerians. These are issues that I think need to be dealt with.”
The NEMA DG, while addressing the lawmakers, stated that the flood, which ravaged several parts of the country, recently is the worst the country has experienced.
According to him, “A total of 612 persons lost their lives, 3,219,780 persons were affected, 1,427,370 persons were displaced and 2,776 others suffered various degrees of injuries.
“A total of 181,600 houses were partially damaged and 123,807 houses were totally damaged. A total of 176,852 hectares of farmland were partially destroyed while 392,300 hectares of farmland got totally destroyed as a result of the floods.”
