The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has donated relief materials to victims of the recent flood disaster in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Speaking during the handing-over exercise in Maiduguri, the Managing Director of the commission, Mohammed Goni Alkali, said the donated items include food and non-food materials aimed at alleviating the suffering of those affected by the flood.
According to Alkali, the relief materials comprise 10,000 bags of rice, 10,000 cartons of spaghetti, 15,000 branded mats, 15,000 blankets, 10,000 pieces of buckets and wrappers, 5,000 cartons of cooking oil, 5,000 packs of children’s clothes, and 7,500 pieces of mosquito nets.
He explained that the commission is releasing 200,000 bags of rice, 150,000 cartons of spaghetti, 250,000 cartons of cooking oil, 200,000 pieces of blankets, 200,000 pieces of mats, 30,000 pieces of brocades, 50,000 pieces of wrappers, 65,000 pieces of children’s wears, and 20,000 pieces of mosquito nets to the six states of the Northeast.
The commission will utilise the political structures in the Northeast to distribute relief materials to flood victims in each of the six states.
Alkali noted that the commission’s interventions are short-term but have a policy dimension for medium and long-term plans for the region’s overall development.
Regarding the collapse of Alau Dam, Alkali said the commission will review and re-award the contract for the dam’s complete rehabilitation, which was damaged by the flood.
The relief materials were handed over to the state government at the NEDC warehouse in Flour Mills Area, Maiduguri.