Kwara Governor AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq seeks N10b FG’s assistance for 15,000 flood victims

Kwara governor seeks N10b FG’s assistance for 15,000 flood victims

The Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja on Tuesday to seek federal government’s assistance over the flood disaster in his state, which he said has displaced over 15,000 people.

Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, he disclosed that the flooding led to a loss amounting to about N10 billion.

He said he requested for the president’s intervention to ameliorate the sufferings of the people of the state whose houses and farmlands have been submerged by the floods, which he feared, will result to low harvest.

The governor added that he has secured the President’s promise to help the state and that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has also promised that the cycle for assistance will be shorter than the regular six months.

Abdulrazaq said: “I came to the President, among other things, to discuss ecological and developmental issues. And over the weekend, we had a huge rainstorm that destroyed about 5,000 houses in the state capital.

“We had huge flooding in Kwara North and the bank of River Niger. There are a lot of internally displaced people at the bank of River Niger and in the state capital. The state needs virtual aid to abate the crisis.”

He added: “We have about 5,000 houses and thousands of hectares of farmland are underwater. Close to about 10,000 to 15,000 people are already displaced so far. So, it’s straining the State’s economy. That is why we need virtual aid.

While noting that the losses were between N5 to N10billion, the governor revealed that the President‘s response was positive.

He stated that Buhari was very proactive, adding: “The federal government is coming in to assist the State. The new General Manager (GM) at National Emergency Agency (NEMA) is also coming to Kwara to see the situation for himself.