From John Adams, Minna
The federal government has approved ₦2 billion for the construction of settlement homes for the victims of the flood disaster in Mokwa, which occurred last Wednesday.
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, disclosed this in Mokwa on Wednesday when he made a sympathy and assessment visit to the affected communities in Mokwa regarding the unfortunate incident.
The Vice President, who could not believe the extent of the devastation caused by the flood after visiting the sites, also said that the federal government has ordered the immediate release of 20 trucks of rice to be distributed to all the surviving victims, assuring the displaced people that the federal government will do everything possible to reduce their suffering.
He disclosed that the Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, has been directed to relocate to Mokwa to ensure that all the relief materials reach the targeted beneficiaries.
The Vice President also said that a 14 MVA transformer will be immediately provided for Mokwa town to replace the damaged one, which has resulted in a total blackout in the town.
He further pointed out that the Ministry of Environment has been directed to fix all the drainages, including the washed-away bridges in the town.
Shettima made it clear that the federal government will not do everything and therefore urged both the state and Mokwa local government to take up their own responsibilities, stressing that “as the federal government, we will do our part, and both the state and the local government should also play their roles.”
Earlier, the Deputy Governor of the state, Yakubu Garba, who represented the governor, Umaru Mohammed Bago, while welcoming the Vice President, disclosed that as of Tuesday, no fewer than 156 bodies have been recovered, while about 1,000 others are still unaccounted for, saying that “the state is still in shock; the people are in agony.”
He told his guest that there is a lot of pain and frustration among the people, who he said have lost everything, urging the federal government to come to the aid of the state and empower all the widows and other displaced people in the affected communities.
Yakubu informed the Vice President that a total of 13,354 people were directly affected, 4,534 individuals were displaced from their homes, 458 households were impacted, and 161 lives were tragically lost.
In addition, he stated that 186 people were injured, 84 individuals are still missing, 265 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged, two major roads were washed away, and five key bridges collapsed, including the vital Goodwill Bridge linking Mokwa to other parts of the country.
The Vice President was accompanied on the visit by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi, and the Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Sabi Abdullahi.