Floods: Drama as Southern Lawmakers Accuse NEMA of Favoritism in Relief Materials’ Distribution

•Insist southern states yet to feel impact

•Bemoan absence of local govts, MDAs at ecological fund probe

•NEMA says N112bn expended in 11yrs, declares 2022 flood disaster worst in history

•Senate wants FG to fix damaged federal roads with N500bn from service wide vote

Sunday Aborisade and Udora Orizu in Abuja

A slight drama played out yesterday during a public hearing organised by members of the House of Representatives Committee on Ecological Fund, investigating the total consolidated accruals and utilisation of the fund.

The lawmakers at the resumed hearing expressed displeasure when the Director General of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ahmed Mustapha, told them that the agency following the flood disaster reached out to and responded to over 1,427,370 displaced persons in all the states of the federation and the FCT.

This was just as the Senate yesterday urged the federal government to spend N500 billion from the Service Wide Vote to rehabilitate federal roads destroyed by the recent flooding which ravaged most part of the country.

Continuing, Mustapha also said the provision of food and non-food items for immediate relief and building materials to facilitate long term rehabilitation of the impacted population was still ongoing.

However, expressing displeasure over the statement, Hon. Oghuma Johnson (APC, Edo), accused the agency of favouring a particular region of the country in their relief materials distribution selection process.

The lawmaker before walking out of the sitting, told the DG that he was partial and the impact of his agency’s distribution claims yet to be seen or felt in his constituency and Edo state as a whole.

Johnson said, “In the whole of my area, we do not have any assembly members and you said you informed assembly members from my state and I am here. It is my own federal constituency that is swallowed up by the flood. I moved a motion concerning my federal constituency and that is the only way they communicate to you.

“I do not have any personal relationship with you. I don’t have to ask you for anything because I do not need anything from you.

“For my people, they are part of Nigeria and I want to put it to you that you people were not appointed to be partial. You swore an oath before you took your office. The way you treat some of us from this area, is that the same way you are treating other people?

“I am bitter because of the way you have abandoned these people. My state is never recognised. You have never done anything in Edo State and you call yourself NEMA. Is NEMA not Nigeria? Is it a regional organisation?”

Corroborating Johnson statement, the Committee Chairman Hon. Ibrahim Isiaka (APC, Ogun), said, “Everything starts and ends at your table. Nobody is asking for any special favour. But what you are doing if they (lawmakers) are carried along, the pressure on them will lessen.

“And I am telling that here as we are seated here, there are three members from Ogun State here, including I as the Chairman of this committee.”

 Also, Hon. Adewunmi Onanuga (APC, Ogun) said she had written twice to the agency with regards to issues in her state and constituency, saying not once has anyone called her back.

While saying she has issues with the way the agency was being run, the lawmaker, claimed that not once did they get any information with regards to what NEMA was doing in the whole of that south-west.

Meanwhile, the DG giving details of consolidated accruals and ecological fund utilisation from 2011 – 2022, explained that the sum of N112, 137, 641, 074.17 was expended in disaster management activities across the country.

He, however, noted that unlike other appropriated funds, balances from ecological funds are usually rolled over to the next fiscal year.

For the 2010 expenditure, the NEMA DG said the documents could not be sighted as they were vandalised during the #EndSARS protests and police extract to that effect has been obtained.

While lamenting that the 2022 flood disaster was the worst flood disaster in the recorded history, the DG added that it was by far more devastating than the 2012 flood which was hitherto considered unprecedented in the history of Nigeria.

He said, “as predicted, the 2022 flood hit the country with devastating consequences, impacted thousands of communities and wreaked havoc in all the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT.

“A total of 612 persons lost their lives, 3,219,780 persons were affected, 1,427,370 persons were displaced and 2,776 others suffered various degrees of injuries. A total of 181,600 houses were partially damaged and 123,807 houses were totally damaged.

“A total of 176,852 hectares of farmland were partially destroyed while 392,300 hectares of farmland got totally destroyed as a result of the floods.

“In line with committee’s request number three of the letters aforementioned, fine copies of audited accounts and financial statements for the year 2010 to 2020 audited by Messrs Razak Kadiri and Co, Chartered Accountants and Tijani Isa and Co, Chartered Accountants. The 2021 audited accounts report is still being finalized by Tijani Musa Isa and Co and would be made available as soon as it is concluded.”

Earlier, the Committee Chairman, Hon. Ibrahim Isiaka frowned at the absence of Ministries Departments and Agencies of federal government and Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) at the probe to defend the amount they received and how it was spent.

He specifically bemoaned the absence of Ministries of Health and Niger Delta Affairs despite being major beneficiaries.

Flood: Senate Wants FG to Fix Damaged Federal Roads with N500bn From Service Wide Vote

In a related development, the Senate yesterday urged the federal government to spend N500 billion from the Service Wide Vote to rehabilitate federal roads destroyed by the recent flooding which ravaged most part of the country.

The red chamber said the rehabilitation should be undertaken by the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency.

 The Senate made the appeal following the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Bassey Gershom Henry from Cross River South.

Leading debate on the motion,  Senator Bassey Gershom noted that this year’s floods were the worst that Nigeria had experienced in decades as the rise in water level is more than the 2012 and 2020 episode.

He also stated that 2022 floods had further worsened the deplorable state of Nigeria’s federal roads.

He said the justification for the proposed money became necessary since some major inter- state roads were impassable as water had washed off most parts of the road and bridges creating economic and human security crises.

The lawmaker also said road transportation was the major means of transportation in Nigeria since air transportation and others were not within the reach of most Nigerians

The Senate therefore directed that the NNPC Limited Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme  should be expanded to cover maintenance of failed sections of federal roads.

The motion was titied, “the negative impact of the 2022 flood on Nigerian roads and the need for urgent and improved funding of FERMA from Service Wide Vote & NNPC Tax Credit Scheme.”

It read, “Aware that this year’s floods are the worst that Nigeria has experienced in decades as the rise in water level is more than the 2012 and 2020 episode;

“Further aware that the 2022 floods have further worsened the deplorable state of Nigeria’s federal roads;

“Worried that some major inter-state roads are impassable as water has washed off most parts of the road and bridges creating economic and human security crises;

 “Concerned that road transportation is the major means of transportation in Nigeria since air transportation and  others are not within the reach of most Nigerians.”