Tinubu, Omo-Agege Donate N200m Relief Materials, Cash to Displaced Flood Victims in Delta
Aviation workers’ strike stalls former Lagos governor’s visit, chopper movement FG has contigency plan to prevent food shortage, says Minister Bayelsa hold thanksgiving despite travails, Diri urges calm Jonathan, Dickson, Jonah seek support for victims
Cash and relief materials worth N200 million have been donated to displaced flood victims in Delta State by the Presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the party's governorship candidate in the state, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.
This was just as the federal government in reacting to the recent massive flooding witnessed in the country, yesterday, disclosed that arrangements have been put in place to forestall food shortage in the wake of losses recorded in the farms.
Also, Bayelsans in their hundreds yesterday trooped out to celebrate and give thanks to God at the annual thanksgiving day with the State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, urging the people not to be daunted in the face of the obvious challenges caused by the ravaging floods.
In Delta State, while Tinubu announced a donation of N50 million cash, Omo-Agege gave out N150 million worth of relief materials.
Addressing a mammoth crowd on behalf of Tinubu and himself in Effurun, Delta State yesterday, Senator Omo-Agege explained that the industrial action embarked upon by aviation workers halted the movement of the APC presidential candidate.
He said: "I am here wearing two caps. The first cap I am wearing is the cap of the governorship candidate of APC in the 2023 general election and the second cap is that of the coordinator of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Campaign Organisation in Delta State.
“The essence of this gathering today (yesterday) is to welcome our incoming president by God's grace, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. The reason for the visit is to show solidarity, empathy and sympathy with our people as a result of the devastating flood in most of our communities here in Delta State and also to provide leadership in our fight to uproot bad governance imposed in Delta State in the past seven and half years.
"But as you all know, because of the strike in the aviation industry, and his reason for coming here is to visit IDP camps. And you know, to get to the IDP camps, you cannot get there by road. So we made arrangements to use helicopters to move our president-in-waiting and his entourage from here to IDP camps in Kwale in Delta North, Patani in Delta South and Okwagbe in Delta Central.
"But we have received a message that because of the strike in the aviation sector, we are not able to get any of those helicopters to move him from here to those IDP camps. So we have decided to reschedule this visit. He has promised that he is coming back within the next couple of days, he will let us know; at which time the aviation strike would have been called off and we will have access to the helicopters that will take him to those locations," he explained to the crowd.
The APC governorship candidate said the party's presidential candidate instructed him to make a donation of N50 million on his behalf because of the empathy he feels for the flood victims in the state.
"Our presidential candidate said that I should announce the donation of N50million to Deltans who have lost their homes and source of livelihood and who are currently in IDP camps," he disclosed, assuring that the money would be made available to them through the Director General of the campaign, Elder Godsdey Orubebe.
"We are going to sit down and work out the modality on how this N50 million will be shared to each of the IDP camps to ameliorate the conditions of our people. We know that no one man can restore the losses suffered by our people. So this is Tinubu's own way of showing love to the people of Delta State.
"In addition to that, in my capacity as the governorship candidate of APC in Delta State and as Deputy Senate President and Senator representing Delta Central, I have also made arrangements and we have acquired relief materials worth N150 million.
"We have made all of the procurements, food items, cement, mattresses, rice, roofing sheets and more. And beginning on Friday, we are going to set up a committee that will move from IDP camp to IDP camp to distribute all of these materials to our people who have been displaced as a result of this flood", he said.
At Okwagbe, where he led the APC train to visit the IDP camps, Omo-Agege expressed sympathy on behalf of Tinubu and himself, and said the N200 million donation was a heartfelt contribution by both of them to cushion the plight of the victims of the flood.
He said the people of Delta were prepared to vote out the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and asked Okwagbe people to join the APC winning team
Omo-Agege’s running mate, Rt. Hon. Friday Osanebi, led the mission to Kwale IDP camp, while DG of the campaign, Orubebe led another team to Patani IDP camp.
Flooding: FG Has Contigency Plan to Prevent Food Shortage, Says Minister
Meanwhile, the federal government yesterday disclosed that arrangements have been put in place to forestall food shortage in the wake of losses recorded in the farms as a result of recent flood disaster that ravaged the country.
Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Mohammed Abubakar, made this known while speaking with newsmen at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting which was presided over by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo at the State House, Abuja.
The minister also talked about FEC's approval of a memorandum presented by his ministry for the Revised Comprehensive Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan for the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Nigeria, (the Animal Component).
Abubakar listed multiple dry season farming and other measures as part of government’s plans to mitigate the losses to the floods.
Asked if the federal government had any plan to forestall food shortage as had been projected by various sources, following the devastating flooding, Abubakar said besides re-strategised planting patterns, funding has been secured to aid the plans.
He explained: “What are we doing to avert food shortage? Number one, first and foremost, we have in place an intensive plan for dry season farming. We have gotten funding from the African Development Bank, we have some money also in our own provision, also, IFAD, that is the International Fund for Agricultural Development also just donated or grant, if you will, $5 million.
“So, we have some money that we are already planning to do dry season farming. Also, in areas of conflict, we are recruiting additional rangers.
“I told you in another forum that we have Agro Rangers that provide some measure of security on farm lands. We are recruiting more to do that.
“Also, we are intensifying farming in areas that have no conflict to make up for those areas that we are getting little or no access.
“So the thing is the government, Mr. President, have specifically directed that we do everything humanly possible to make sure there is no food shortage in the country and I can tell you, there will not be any food shortage.