By Amos Aar
BENUE State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, on Tuesday in Makurdi flagged off the distribution of relief items for persons affected by the 2022 flood and the most vulnerable in Benue State tagged Special National Economic and Livelihood Emergency Intervention (SNELI).
Governor Alia who expressed appreciation to the federal government for the intervention said the food and non-food items would be distributed to victims of flood in twenty-one local government areas out of which nineteen were badly affected.
The Governor equally expressed gratitude to the Nation Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), who in their Great hand of charity has chosen to reach out to the needy
He said the items were meant strictly for flood victims whose data was already taken and advised those not captured to steer clear of the intervention programe.
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Alia also warned the beneficiaries not to sell the items but make personal use of them in order to achieve the intended result.
In his remark, the Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), represented by Azeez Afunku underscored the need for such intervention, and called on the Benue State Government to ensure fair and equitable distribution of the materials to those affected by the 2022 flood.
Earlier in a welcome address, the Acting Executive Secretary, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Sir James Iorpuu, represented by the Head of Administration of the Agency, Donald Komgbenda, gave account of the items received and promised to be transparent and fair in the distribution.
He said the items flagged off for distribution were: 1,350 sewing machines, 1,350 grinding machines, 1,100 25kg bags of rice, 1,100 10kg bags of maize, 3,653 10kg bags of garri, 3,653 2kg vegetable oil, 14,612 tomato paste, 3653 seasonings, 4,228 mosquito nets, 4,228 nylon mats, 2018 plastic buckets, 614 foot mattresses, 1,057 set of cooking pots, 4,0342 toilet soaps, 350 packs of detergents, 650 bags of maize seeds, 650 bags of rice seeds, 2600 litres of herbicides, 1300 litres of pesticides and 2600 litres of liquid fertilizer.
In a good will message, district head of Madikpo, HRH Chief Ahile Igba, appreciated Governor Alia for starting his administration on a sound footing and urged him to sustain the democratic dividends for his people.
