The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development received over 1,000 relief packages in one truck from Business Visa and The Care Pack Family (TCPF) to assist flood disaster victims in the country.
Receiving the packages on Saturday in Abuja, The Minister, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, said the donations were not only timely, but appropriate, thoughtful and passionate.
According to her, it was timely because Nigeria needs help at this time and thoughtful because the packages were all Nigerian made food items, done in such a way that it could be consumed immediately or processed as desired.
Farouq, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, said the donation was a milestone in the history of disaster management and emergency response in the country.
Farouq commended the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for the strategy of packaging food and non-food relief items for victims of the disaster in the country.
“NEMA has done well and I am happy that development partners are towing that line. Look at the colour codes of your bags and packs, including a reflector bag, touch lights and many others.
“Honestly, you deserve commendation. You have done well. Keep up the good work.
“This is one situation where donations are made and immediately match with actions.
These donations would not enter our store, they would be immediately sent to the victims via NEMA.
TCPF and Business Visa and Training Coy are partners indeed; you stepped in at the right moment with the right support and with made in Nigeria products. You have made us proud.
“I want to call upon Nigerians, individually and collectively, to come to the aid of fellow Nigerians that are in need. To also emulate TCPF and Business Visa,” Farouq said.
She, however, said that NEMA would get a feedback from the beneficiaries of the relief packages, which maybe in form of video, pictures or a written report to show that people benefited from the support.
The Minister said that although donations from development partners and individuals are still coming in, “we still need more, because, there is a lot more to do.
The flood is still evolving, it has not ended yet and the impact will continue to unfold.
“So, while we are seeing the end of the flood in sight, it is still evolving; we know that there will be complications and this is time for us to prepare to do our best. So we need support
“We have lost some vehicles that were going to distribute some relief materials, some got stuck in Lokoja, while some could not get to their destinations in Bayelsa, because, the roads were blocked by the flood.
“We also want to thank the Nigerian Navy and Air Force for assisting us in delivering items to hard-to-reach areas and lifting materials from the vehicles that were stuck,” Farouq said.
Meanwhile the Director-General of NEMA, Mr Mustapha Ahmed, said the donations were indeed an expression of compassion to Nigerians coming from partners to render assistance to people impacted by disaster to enable them get back on their feets and return to normal life.
“I want to use the opportunity to assure you that the relief materials will be deployed immediately and directly to the end users to ensure that the objective of the intervention is met.
“Meanwhile, NEMA will continue working together with all its esteemed partners in government, the private sector, NGOs, CBOs, International organisation and public spirited individuals in the onerous disaster management, and the building of national resilience in Nigeria,” Ahmed said.
Speaking earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Business Visa and Training Coy, Mr Mohammed Garba, said that they decided to assist victims of the disaster because government could not do it alone.
Similarly, Ms Omowunmi Imoukhuede, the Director of Operations, Supply Chain and Distribution of TCPF, said it was a delight for the organisation to donate big shelter package and small bags of relief materials to help cushion the effect of the flood.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that items in the care packs and bags include Mosquito nets, Garri, noodles, sugar, torch lights and many other materials that could help victims of flood and other disaster in the country. (NAN)