By Suzan Edeh, Bauchi

Victims of flood disaster and insurgency in Bauchi State presently have cause to smile and temporarily forget their pains and distress.

The Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation recently came to their aid after it flagged off the distribution of relief materials to victims of flood, insurgency and communal clashes in the state.

The beneficiaries who hail from 10 Northern states of Adamawa, Borno, Bauchi, Benue, Kaduna, Katsina, Gombe, Nasarawa, Plateau and Yobe profusely expressed appreciation to the committee for the timely intervention in cushioning their hardship through the donation of relief materials such as rice, soaps, wrappers, blankets, noodles, salts, palm oil amongst other items.

Humanitarian gesture

Shortly after the flag off of the ceremony, the Chairman of the committee, Dr Sani Abubakar Lugga, led a delegation of the committee members on a courtesy visit to Governor Isa Yuguda, at the Government House in Bauchi.

He said the committee decided to extend its humanitarian gesture not only to victims of flood disaster, but also those of insurgency, communal clashes and cattle rustlers. Abubakar disclosed that the committee went beyond the scope of its mandate to purchase food and non-food items worth N750m to cushion the losses of victims of insurgency and communal clashes in the 10 states.

A victim of insurgency, Safiya  Aliyu, a mother of nine children, said she lost her husband to an attack by insurgents last month in Taraba State. According to her: “I came to Bauchi State early this month along with my late husband’s three other wives and 20 children because our house was burnt by insurgents. We had to relocate to a neighbouring state to start life all over again”.

Safiya who is presently residing in Jahun quarters in Bauchi metropolis,  thanked the committee for the gesture and urged them to assist her family with accommodation.

In an interview with Vanguard Metro, VM, another beneficiary, Hajiya Dan Azimi, who is an indigene of Bauchi State from Darazo Local Government Area said her family was displaced early this month from their home as a result of an attack launched by insurgents in the local government.

“Ninety three persons, including me, ran away from Darazo because our house was burnt by gunmen. We felt our lives were threatened, so we relocated to Bauchi town because of the peace among the residents”.

She complained that the relief materials were not enough for her family because some items were shared with other beneficiaries. “Even though I am grateful for the gesture of the committee, some of the items are just inadequate for us. You can imagine a situation where 10 persons  are supposed to share a bag of rice. So when we share it among ourselves, what one gets is very small,” she said.

Usman Danladi a beneficiary from Adamawa  State said he was displaced from his house as a result of flood disaster. He said he came to Bauchi State November last year because he lost his house and farm lands to flood.

Support to displaced persons

“I had to start life afresh with my family, so I moved down to Bauchi because I heard that the government usually gives support to displaced persons,” he said. He commended the committee  over the kind gesture and urged them to give some beneficiaries capital to set up businesses in order to have decent sources of livelihood.

When President Goodluck Jonathan, in 2012, decided to inaugurate a presidential committee to mobilise funds for flood victims, Nigerians breathed a sigh of relief as the gesture was expected to go a long way in addressing the hardship experienced by those affected.

Apart from raising funds to complement government’s provisions to flood victims across the country, the committee is also vested with the mandate of  post-impact rehabilitation of affected persons and communities.

It will be recalled that the Federal Government had at the time, earmarked the sum of about N22 billion as financial assistance to all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT and as allocations to ministries and parastatals to cushion the devastating effects of the flooding experienced in parts of the country.

The remaining allocations were made to the Ministry of Works, the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA; Ministry of Environment and the Technical Committee on Flood Impact Assessment which received N2.6 billion, N1.1 billion, N350 million, N150 million and N100 million, respectively.

The 34-man Presidential Committee was co-chaired by billionaire Aliko Dangote and renowned activist Olisa Agbakoba.

As one of the benefiting states, Bauchi  received N400 million relief fund for the more than 19, 000 persons affected by the floods of last year.

The Sub-chairman of the State Relief Committee, SRC, Alhaji Ibrahim Jahun, said the beneficiaries were spread across the state, adding the floods caused an estimated damage of N3 billion, which makes the N400 million received grossly inadequate to support the victims.