Vice President Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed the Nigerian federal government’s commitment to supporting victims of flooding and insecurity across the country, promising additional relief for severely affected states.
Speaking during a visit to an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Niger State on Friday, Mr Shettima said both federal and state governments, alongside the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), are actively working to enhance support for displaced communities.
“We are here at the instance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to give the commitment of the federation government to supporting the people of Niger State towards addressing the food challenges caused by the flood and the insecurity that has been bedevilling this part of the country,” he said.
Mr Shettima recalled that the federal government had already disbursed 3bn naira (£3.1m) to each state to address flooding issues. However, he emphasised that this was just the beginning of a more comprehensive support plan.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as some States like Borno, Niger, Sokoto, Bayelsa and Jigawa are concerned,” the vice president said.
He explained that states’ eligibility to receive additional federal government support will be “evidence-driven” and based on detailed assessments of needs.
Regarding infrastructure plans, Mr Shettima said: “In the contemporary history of Nigeria, no President has intervened decisively in the area of infrastructure greater than President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
The vice president assured that returning IDPs to their communities was a priority, disclosing that the federal and state governments, in collaboration with NEMA, were working on additional interventions for the displaced persons.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago informed the vice president that the Gwada camp is one of 14 camps across the state housing those displaced by both floods and insecurity.
The federal government delegation included the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, and the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, among others.
