Red Cross Disburses N304m to 5,000 Flood Victims in Jigawa
By: Ahmed Aminu, Dutse
The Nigeria Red Cross Society (NRCS), has disbursed over N304 million to 5,000 people affected by flood in three local government areas of Jigawa State in 2024.
The President of the NRC, Prince Oluyemisi Adeaga, made the presentation on Friday in Auyo.
“The gesture is aimed at supporting the most vulnerable, including widows, people living with disabilities, child-headed households, pregnant mothers and displaced families.”
Prince Adeaga said all the 5,000 beneficiaries were from Auyo, Kirikasamma and Malam-Madori local government areas, adding that the intervention was to give them hope and take decisive steps to overcome the disaster.
“In the midst of diversity, we’ve validated our support for 11,500 beneficiaries across 13 states in Nigeria. Thirteen states! That’s not just a number – that’s 11,500 stories of hope, 11,500 opportunities to rebuild, 11,500 reasons to believe in the power of human compassion.
“Here in Jigawa, we registered 5,000 families and the breakdown is as follows. We will give 3,000 families agricultural assistance with N150 million that will help them produce better yields on their farms, while 2,000 others will get cash assistance of N154m. Totaling 5,000 families and N304 million.
“The NRCS initiated an anticipatory flood response project to provide support to vulnerable communities in Jigawa state, aimed at lessening the impact of anticipated floods by assessing and registering communities in Auyo, Kirikasamma, and Malam Madori LGAs as part of the intervention for the 2024 flood response,” he added.
According to Prince Adeaga, a comprehensive validation process ensured the accuracy and eligibility of the 11,500 beneficiaries across 13 states in Nigeria.
He said Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) will be distributed to the 11,500 validated beneficiaries across Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Edo, Enugu, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara states.
In her remarks, Zubaida Umar, the Director-General of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), noted that the gesture aligned with Federal Government’s commitment to providing relief to communities impacted by flood disaster.
Umar, represented by Dr Nuraddeen Abdullahi, NEMA’s Coordinator, Kano Territorial Office, said as its key stakeholder, the NRCS plays a crucial role in complementing public authorities in humanitarian intervention.
She noted that the agency, recently distributed essential relief materials, including food and non-food items to affected families in 18 LGAs of the state.
On his part, Governor Umar Namadi appreciated the humanitarian assistance to the victims.
Namadi, represented by Dr Muhammad Bello, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties, said the gesture will not only bring relief to the victims, but also help in gradual recovery and restoration of their means of livelihood.
Also, the NRCS branch Chairman in the state, Mr Bala Chamo, said 1,200 victims from Auyo, 2,000 from Malam Madori and 1,800 from Kirikasamma benefited from the gesture.
Bala added 3,000 of the victims will receive N50,000 each to return to farming while 2,000 of the victims will receive N77, 000 each.
In his goodwill message, the Chairman of Auyo LGC, Bilya Ahmed, commended the Red Cross for the good gesture, which will go a long in mitigating the plight of the victims.
Some of the beneficiaries, Hajiya Duniya Manu and Jafaru, thanked the Red Cross for the support and pledged to make judicious use of it to recoup their lives.
