By; SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri
North East Development Commission (NEDC) has released 10,000 bags of rice, 10,000 cartons of spaghetti, 15,000 branded mats, 15,000 blankets, 10,000 pieces of brocades and wrapper each,, 5, 000 cartons of cooking oil, 5,000 packed of children cloths, and 7,500 pieces of mosquito nets immediately as humanitarian intervention for recent Maiduguri , Borno State victims of flood disaster that ravaged the state capital, Maiduguri Tuesday this week.
Addressing journalists at a press briefing at the NEDC headquarters, Maiduguri on Wednesday, the Managing Director NEDC, Alhaji Mohammed Goni Alkali said ,” we are just releasing 200,000 bags of rice, and 150,000 cartons of spaghetti.
“Others include, 250,000 cartons of cooking oil, 200,000 pieces of blankets, 200,000 pieces of mats, 30,000 pieces of brucades,. 50,000 picues of wrappers 65,000 pieces of children wears 20,000 pieces of mosquito nets to the 6 states of the Northeast,” Alkali added.
He also said that, ” just recently we were in Adamawa, Bauchi, Yobe and Taraba, Today we are here in Maiduguri, tomorrow we are going to Gombe to assess the collapse bridges with a view to intervene.”
“NEDC is going to use the political structures in the Northeast, which consist of 18 senatorial Districts, 48 Federal constituencies and 1,024 state constituencies to distribute the relief materials to the flood disaster victims in each of the six states of the North East region,” Alkali said.
According to him, the commissions interventions are going to be in short term basis i but the commission has a policy dimension for the medium and long term intervention plans for overall development of the region.
On the issue of the collapse Alau Dam, the MD/CEO of NEDC said the commission has already awarded contract for the renovation and reconstruction of water spillage and desilting of the dam recently before the flood disaster.
” But with this recent development, the commission is going to review the contract and re-award for complete rehabilitation of the Dam structures that were damaged by the flood which is very bad and worst that even the last one in December 1994,” Alkali added.
The relief materials were handed over to the state government at the NEDC warehouse Flour Mills Area Maiduguri by the MD/CEO immediately after the press briefing.