The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has started the distribution of relief materials to 22,658 households affected by the 2022 flood disaster and vulnerable in Kano State.
The Director-General of NEMA, Mr. Mustapha Ahmed-Habib, disclosed this while flagging off the distribution of the relief materials to beneficiaries in Kano.
He said the gesture was under the Special National Economic Livelihood Emergency Intervention (SNELEI) for households affected by the 2022 flood and vulnerable in the state.
Ahmed-Habib said the aim was to bring succour to the victims.
The food items distributed included rice, beans, sorghum, vegetable oil, salt, tomato paste, and seasoning cubes.
He listed the non-essential items to include mosquito nets, nylon mats, blankets, mattresses, plastic buckets, sets of cooking pots, toiletries, and a cooking stove.
Other livelihood equipment included sewing machines, agricultural inputs such as grinding machines, maize seeds, rice seeds, groundnut seeds, water pumping machines, liquid fertiliser, growth enhancers, pesticides, herbicides, and knapsack sprayers.
Ahmed-Habib advised the beneficiaries to make proper use of the items to improve their socio-economic conditions and avoid selling them.
“The crop seedlings and equipment are given to take farmers back to the land, stimulate crop production, and safeguard our national food security in the middle of the economic downturn.
The director general commended President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima for the support given towards the implementation of the intervention.
“A total of 660,884 households were verified and targeted to benefit from this Federal Government intervention across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja,” Ahmed-Habib said.
On his part, Gov. Abba Kabir-Yusuf of Kano State commended the Federal Government and NEMA for the timely intervention.
Kabir-Yusuf, represented by his Deputy, Mr. Aminu Abdulsalam-Gwarzo, said 22 Local Government Areas across the three Senatorial zones in the state would benefit from the relief materials.
“979 households each from 20 local government areas will benefit, while Kano Municipal and Tarauni local governments were allocated 1,520 households, respectively.
Kabir-Yusuf urged the beneficiaries to judiciously use the items.
“I wish to reiterate the commitment of my administration towards supporting all programmes that will be directed towards alleviating the socio-economic hardship of our citizens and residents,” he said.
Malam Ibrahim Muhammad, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, commended the agency for the kind gesture.
“I will start a business with my grinding machine to assist my family,” he said.
