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By Madu Obi
THE Anambra State government has set up a committee for the distribution of relief materials to the 2022 flood victims in the state.
The committee, which is headed by the Executive Secretary, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Chief Paul Odenigbo, has the Executive Director of SEMA, Mr. C. Y Agupugo as the secretary.
Other members of the committee are the Special Adviser to the governor on Political Matters, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, the Commissioner for Local Government, Town Union and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr. Collins Nwabunwanne and the Transition Committee chairmen of the eight affected local government areas.
The LGAs are Anambra West, Anambra East, Ayamelum, Awka North, Ogbaru, Ekwusigo, Ihiala and Idemili South.
At the inauguration of the committee at the SEMA headquarters in Awka, Odenigbo commended the state government for setting up the committee as stipulated by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
"The state government is complying with the directive of the federal government- assisted NEMA, which has directed that the relief materials are to be distributed specifically to 2022 flood victims in the state," he said.
He urged the local government chairmen to ensure that the items were equitably distributed to the designated people, adding that the state governor had instructed that the items must reach the affected victims in good time.
Discussions during the meeting centered on the distribution mode, time frame, how to get the items directly to the beneficiaries, as well as the materials involved.
The Special Adviser on political matters to the governor, Obiogbolu said people involved in the exercise need to be accountable for the items to ensure seamless distribution process.
"Confidence arises from performance because your past experiences in the distribution of relief items will come to play in this exercise."
"Part of the job is making sure that only the people who were affected by the flood are the beneficiaries."
"You should also make sure that it is not just one person distributing; there should be a team work and let there be transparency in the exercise."
"See to it that the stakeholders in your localities are carried along, although I am not in doubt of your ability in making sure that the distribution is successful’’, Obiogbolu told the chairmen."
Commending NEMA and SEMA for considering their respective LGAs the distribution, the Transition Committee Chairman of Anambra East LGA, Dr. Anselm Onuora assured that the items would go through the Ward Emergency Management Committees down the individuals in the various communities in an equitable manner.
He, however, pleaded for more items to be allocated to the LGAs in view of the level of destruction by the flood and the large number of the victims.
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