By: Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse
With Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouk, saying that Jigawa State is worst hit in terms of the number of deaths recorded during the devastating floods across the country, some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have accused the Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) of sabotaging their efforts in rendering support to the victims of the disaster.
Hajia Farouk said at the Ministerial Media Briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday that in the 2022 flood data as at 24th October provided by the Ministry, death toll in Jigawa stood at 91, Anambra 77 while in Kogi 471,991 persons were affected with zero death.
But in Jigawa State, organisations who are complaining bitterly of alleged sabotage includes ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) and Baba Azimi Foundation (BAF) who recently attempted to present cash and material donations to the victims in seven Local Government Areas in the State.
The two NGOs accused SEMA officials of denying their organizations data for the victims of the disaster in the areas they proposed to support.
The Resident Coordinator, ActionAid Nigeria, Mr Anicetus Atakpu, said SEMA refused to provide them with data to enable them carry out their work effectively, regretting that officials of the agency are refusing to provide the needed information.
The Resident Coordinator maintained that “the data when collected will be used for the purpose of assisting those that are in dire need of support in the affected communities. But our good intention towards this kind gesture was sabotaged by SEMA.”
Mr Atakpu explained that, ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) has been collaborating with her counterpart, the Jigawa Local Rights Partner, Baba Azimi Foundation, with funding from STARTFUND to provide support of cash for food of N20,000 to 1000 households, distribution of non-food items to 1,200 households and dignity kits to 500 lactating and pregnant women in three LGAs of Miga, Gwiwa and Kaugama.
On her part, the Executive Director, Baba Azimi Foundation, Barrister Aisha Sulaiman said that from the three stated LGAs, the organization is operating in the six selected communities of Sabara, Nasarawa, Kainawa, Komai-Allah, Duwigi and Rankwata-Sale.
According to her, with the estimated number of over 70,000 households affected by the floods this year across varied locations in the State, a lot need to be done to cushion the hardship of the affected victims.
Also speaking, District Head of Gwiwa represented by Alhaji Gudaji Tafida, while witnessing the distribution of the relief items in Duwigi town, thanked Baba Azumi Foundation and ActionAid Nigeria for the gestures and appealed to government and other donor organizations to come to the aid of the floods victims in the State.
The Chairman of Gwiwa LGA represented by WASH Coordinator in the area, Mansur Ibrahim, said they recorded three deaths in this year’s flood which affected over 7,000 houses in about 20 villages in the area.
Effort to contact Executive Chairman Jigawa SEMA, Sani Yusuf Babura, proved abortive as he didn’t answer our call at the time of filling in this report.
