The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has donated relief materials worth over N22m to victims affected by floods in Rivers State as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility to the society.
The Head of Public Relations of the Agency, Hajia Lami Tumaka who led the team to Rivers State for the purpose of providing some form of relief to victims of the flood explained that the Executive Management of the Agency was concerned about the deteriorating conditions of the displaced persons in the affected communities.
Hajia Tumaka noted that NIMASA is charged with the responsibility to superintend over the safety and security of the entire maritime domain in the country, “we cannot sit and watch when floods are ravaging our people. Indeed as a socially responsible corporate citizen we have an obligation to act in any way we can to alleviate the sufferings of those affected by this disaster”.
Hajia Tumaka stated further that the Director General of NIMASA Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi having consulted widely with the Management of the Agency, “decided that we should not only pray for the affected victims, but we must come and identify with them and provide our contribution to relief efforts being spearheaded by the Federal Government”.
She stressed that the Management and staff of NIMASA are with them in prayer in this period when floods have caused disaster of unimaginable proportions across many states in our dear country leaving the destruction of valuable lives and property in its wake.
While presenting the materials before distribution, Hajia Tumaka explained that the Agency deemed it necessary to build six bathrooms and six toilets in each camp for proper sanitation control to forestall the outbreak of epidemic.
Receiving the materials on behalf of the displaced persons, Dame Mina Menebo, Permanent Secretary, Special Duties in the Rivers State Government expressed appreciation to NIMASA for bringing succour to the displaced noting that the construction of the toilets and bathrooms within such a short period shows that the Agency is truly responsible in its functions.
She pledged the government’s commitment to efficient distribution of the donated materials and further informed the team that the floods have moved to two more Local Government Areas.
According to Dame Menebo, “farms are flooded, houses submerged, more than 800 thousand people are affected and there are not less than 1,500 people in about 25 camps with lack of proper health facilities, poor sanitation. There is also no water and power supply.”
The Permanent Secretary explained that though the flood has ravaged the state, their greatest challenge is the post floods period with the likely outbreak of epidemics.
The NIMASA team visited and distributed relief materials comprising bags of rice, mattresses, clothing, drugs, stoves, kerosene and yams in all the camps visited Ahoada East, Ahoada West, Abua Odual and Onelga Local Government Areas.
The NIMASA delegation also fed the displaced persons in some of the camps visited for five days with cooked food and potable water as some of the displaced complained of not being able to eat because of the challenges associated with cooking in the camps.
The chairman of Abua Odual LGA Hon. Udi Odum while receiving the relief materials pledged that all the items brought by NIMASA will be evenly distributed. He joyfully cut the tapes in the newly constructed bathrooms and toilets and promised to personally write an appreciation letter to the Management of NIMASA after the flood crises.
NIMASA has expended a total of N250m on the provision of relief materials to victims of the floods in six states of the federation including Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Delta, Kogi and Rivers States.
