President Bola Tinubu on Monday arrived in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, to commiserate with the government and people over the recent flood disaster.
The President landed at 3:40 p.m. and proceeded to an emergency camp to meet with the displaced victims of the flood.
At the camp, Tinubu reassured the victims of the government’s commitment to their welfare. “I want to assure you that we are going to support you, we will support you. God bless you,” he said.
Accompanying the President were Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Agriculture Abubakar Kyari, and other key officials.
The President was received at the Maiduguri Air Force Base by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and a delegation of governors including Abdulrahman Abdulrazak, Bala Mohammed, Ahmed Ododo, and Ahmed Aliyu.
Despite heavy rain, Tinubu also visited the Shehu of Borno’s palace, where he signed a condolence register.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the families who have lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods in the catastrophe,” he wrote, pledging the federal government’s continuous support in relief efforts.
The flooding, which occurred after the collapse of the Alau dam, has claimed at least 30 lives and displaced over 400,000 people, with further concerns that the number of affected individuals could rise.
“The situation in Maiduguri is quite frightening,” said NEMA official Zubaida Umar.
“The flood has taken over around 40 per cent of the entire city. People have been forced out of their homes and are scattered everywhere. From our statistics, we have 414,000 displaced people.”
He added that officials fear that the figure could reach a million.
However, Governor Babagana Zulum, in a televised interview, said the total number of lives lost in the flood disaster in Maiduguri is unknown as efforts to reach inaccessible areas are ongoing.
“We have to quantify the loss of lives that has happened as a result of this flooding because up till now we have some areas that we can’t have access, but the rescue mission is ongoing,” he said. “Quite a number of persons were rescued, so this is the situation that we are in.”
The Governor said neglect of the dam over the years has been a major challenge and that efforts will be made to remedy the situation.
According to him, “We had a similar disaster 30 years ago although the extent is not up to this one, but I believe the dam requires reconstruction.”
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