The Borno State Government has announced that it has received N4.4 billion out of the N13.1 billion pledged for victims of the Maiduguri flood.
This represents 33.59% of the total donations.
The update was provided by Prof. Usman Tar, Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, during a briefing at the Borno State Government Flood Disaster Situation Room in Maiduguri, according to a NAN report.
Prof. Tar revealed that the available funds have been transferred to the newly inaugurated Disaster Relief Disbursement Committee, which includes representatives from federal and state agencies, security forces, and other key stakeholders.
He said: “It is an all encompassing committee with members from Federal and State agencies, technocrats, traditional and religious leaders as well as representatives from the military, police, NSCDC, DSS, EFCC, and ICPC, among others.”
Cash support for affected households
He further disclosed that Governor Babagana Zulum had officially launched cash support for the first batch of households to begin rebuilding their homes.
This initiative is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to assist victims in resettling. In addition to cash disbursements, many victims have received food items intended to sustain them for two weeks, with more support packages expected to follow.
On camp closures
Addressing concerns about camp closures, Prof. Tar emphasized that no victims were forced to leave the camps. He clarified that many victims, particularly those who received cash and food aid, voluntarily chose to return home as floodwaters had receded in most parts of the city. The government, however, plans to consolidate some camps to free up schools currently being used as shelters, enabling students to resume classes.
He said: “About 40 per cent of the camps are schools, so we want to merge some by moving those occupying the schools to other depopulated camps to enable the students to resume school.”
Prof. Tar also acknowledged the presence of flood victims sleeping in public spaces such as streets, filling stations, and business premises. He assured that the government had started registering and providing support to these individuals, encouraging them to relocate to designated camps for better aid distribution.
The commissioner called for patience from the public and urged continued cooperation with the government and its partners as they work to alleviate the plight of flood victims.
What you should know
In response to the flood disaster in Maiduguri, Borno State, several prominent individuals have stepped forward with substantial donations to aid victims and support recovery efforts.
Nairametrics earlier reported that Borno State received about N816.34 million from the Ecological Fund between January and June 2024.
The Ecological Fund in Nigeria is a dedicated fund set up by the federal government to address various environmental challenges and natural disasters across the country.
It was established to manage the country’s ecological problems, particularly those arising from soil erosion, flood control, desertification, and other environmental degradation issues.
However, Nairametrics observed that only N20 million was spent on flood control in the first half of 2024, representing just 2.45% of the total ecological allocation.
This amount was only spent in the second quarter of the year, as nothing was spent for this budgetary allocation in Q1 2024.
Borno’s budget allocation for erosion and flood control remains underutilized. The 2024 revised budget earmarked N1.653 billion for flood control, yet only 1.2% of this has been spent, raising questions about the state’s preparedness and commitment to addressing this recurrent issue.
