70% of Sokoto farmers may not have enough to eat – NEMA
Seventy per cent of the farming population in Sokoto State may not have enough to eat this year as a result of the recent flood disaster which destroyed farmlands in the state.
Daily Trust gathered that 15 local government areas were affected by the disaster. Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Sani Sidi, who confirmed this yesterday, said Sokoto, Kebbi and Jigawa states were the most affected. Speaking during a courtesy call on Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, he said the flood caused substantial damage to food and cash crops in the three states.
“It saddened my heart to note that about 70 per cent of farmlands in Sokoto State were affected by the flood and since 70 per cent of the populace are farmers, it means that 70 per cent of the affected population may not have enough food. This is why I am here; to commiserate with the government and people of Sokoto State and to handover relief materials to the affected persons,” he said.
Sidi harped on the need for proactive disaster risk reduction measures, collaboration and coordination of emergency response organisations, early warning and early action.
Responding, Governor Waziri noted that farmers in the state suffered losses but that they would be encouraged to engage in dry season farming to recover.
He said the state government has already purchased seeds and other inputs which would be distributed to farmers in addition to other forms of assistance. The Kano State government has approved release of N13.6 million as financial assistance to victims of fire incidents across the state.
The state Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Ali Haruna Makoda, who disclosed this said the money was part of the N760 million approved at the executive council meeting for various projects and programmes in the state.
This was contained in a statement from the office of the Deputy Governor, Dr. Hafiz Abubakar, and signed by his Director of Press, Malam Usman Bello.
He said the amount includes N342 million for procurement of aluminium sulphate and polymer for water treatment to enhance water supply in the state and N53.9 million for upward review of feeding cost of science and technical boarding schools.
The commissioner said N296 million was approved for the purchase of 16 trucks for Refuse Management and Sanitation Board (REMASAB) and N24 million for the construction of filling stations.
He added that the sum of N6 million was earmarked for the implementation of December 2015, polio immunization plus days exercise, while N1.4 million is for the training of pilots.