By Ismaila Chafe
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to assist victims of the recent Minna fire disaster.
Malam Garba Shehu, a presidential spokesman, said in on Sunday in a statement that the agency has mobilised resources to support the victims in response to a presidential directive.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that shops and goods worth millions of naira were destroyed Jan. 4, when fire outbreak occurred at the Minna main market, the capital of Niger State.
Shehu said that the presidential directive followed the briefing of the President on the incident by NEMA where he asked the agency to provide the urgent assistance to the victims, whose economic life was disrupted by the fire disaster.
“President Buhari attaches great importance to offering immediate succour to victims of devastating disasters as soon as possible as he believes that the essence of government is to help the people overcome difficulties within the limits of available resources,’’ he added.
He said the report presented to the presidency by NEMA indicated that the agency had visited the scene of the fire disaster for preliminary damage assessment and thereafter deployed relief items such as building materials and other related items to the affected victims.
On the 2018 flood disaster, Shehu said the NEMA report indicated that Niger state had benefitted from the Federal Government humanitarian intervention worth about N250 million, ranging from food, shelter, medicals, emergency water supply and other essential requirements.
The Presidential aide, therefore, assured Nigerians that the federal government would continue to offer help to victims of fire and other natural disasters within available resources.(NAN)
