President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate release of ₦2 billion for the reconstruction of homes destroyed by recent floods in Mokwa, Niger State.
Vice President Kashim Shettima announced the development on Wednesday, June 4, during a visit to the affected communities in Mokwa Local Government Area.
“The president specifically instructed me to come to Mokwa to commiserate with the people over the tragedy that befell the town. His heart is with the grieving people of Mokwa,” Shettima told the residents.
He assured the victims that the federal government would respond to all the concerns they raised, working alongside the Niger State Government.
“All issues raised will be addressed by the federal government in collaboration with the Niger government,” he added.
Shettima also revealed that President Tinubu had ordered the Ministers of Environment and State for Agriculture to temporarily relocate to Niger State.
Their mandate is to immediately tackle drainage challenges in Mokwa through the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project.
In addition to funding, Tinubu approved the deployment of 20 trucks of food items to be shared among verified flood victims. The village head of Mokwa will help oversee the fair distribution of the relief materials.
The vice president also praised the swift response of both the deputy governor of Niger and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for their handling of the crisis.
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Deputy Governor Yakubu Garba, in his remarks, called for urgent intervention to mitigate the impact of the disaster.
“We are saddened as a state due to the flood disaster; we commend NEMA DG for promptly responding to the disaster,” Garba said.
He added, “We need quick intervention as the four collapsed bridges have cut down social and economic activities, especially in Rabba, as students cannot come to Mokwa when there’s rainfall, the bridge needs to be fixed.”
Garba also noted that more than 2,000 houses were destroyed and displaced victims are currently squatting with relatives. He said the state government has land available to build new homes for them.
The Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar, appealed to the federal government to speed up several road projects in Mokwa and other parts of the state.
“There is an ongoing road project bypassing Mokwa town, but because of compensation, the work has stopped. We appeal to the FG to fast-track the project as it’s making life unbearable for the people,” the monarch said.
He also urged the government to complete the Mokwa-Birnin Gwari-Kaduna road, the Lambata-Bida road, the Bida-Patigi road, and the Agaie-Match Boro roads. In addition, he called for the deployment of an ecological team to tackle environmental challenges in the area.
The village head of Mokwa, Mohammed Aliyu, expressed appreciation to the federal government for the support extended to the community since the disaster struck.