THE Presidential Women Campaign team of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has given N50 million in financial succour to 1,000 flood victims in Baylesa State. Wife of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the party’s presidential candidate and the chairperson of the campaign team, Senator Oluremi Tinubu donated to the flood victims in various internally displaced camps in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital.
Each of the 1,000 beneficiaries is to collect a relief fund of N50,000 for the recapitalization of their businesses. Bayelsa is one of the states worst hit by the flood with seven out of the eight local government areas affected by the disaster. Thousands of buildings and farmlands are submerged due to floods leaving many individuals in IDP camps. A statement by the head of the media and publicity wing of the campaign team, Rinsola Abiola in Abuja on Saturday stated that food and non food items were also shared while medical outreach was provided to the victims.
Addressing the victims at the Ox’Bow lake pavilion and Igbogene camps, the leader of the team, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who is also the lawmaker representing Lagos Central at the upper chamber of the National Assembly, announced the cash donation to 1000 individuals to recapitalize their small scale businesses. Sen Oluremi Tinubu reiterated that the visit was not political but to identify with the flood victims in their moment of need. She prayed for the state not to witness such natural disasters again.
The acting paramount ruler of Igbogene, Emperor Osage, who expressed appreciation on behalf of the victims, said the donation is the first of its kind to his people. The chairperson of the women campaign team had on her entourage the wife of the APC vice presidential candidate Hajiya Nana Shettima, the wife of the Minister of State, Petroleum, Mrs. Alanyingi Sylva and the national coordinator of the women’s campaign team, Dr Asabe Vlita Bashir.
They were received and conducted around the IDP camps by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Timipre Sylva. Senator Tinubu also visited some Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Bayelsa State. Joined by Sylva and others, Senator Tinubu sympathised with the affected persons with relief materials including food and medicals. She stated: “We have come here to empathize with you. We thank the Honourable Minister and his wife, whom we call ‘Mama Petroleum’. We thank them sincerely for what they have been doing and we greet the people of Bayelsa State. We know what has come upon this land and we come with glad tidings.”
Chief Timipre Sylva commended the resilience of Bayelsans, the thoroughness of the camp coordinators and the orderliness of the people which had kept complete anarchy at bay. Sylva thanked Senator Oluremi Tinubu and Hajiya Fatima Kashim Shettima for the visit and assured them that it was a moment Bayelsans would always affectionately remember. At the palace of the Obenibe of Epie Kingdom, His Royal Majesty King Malla Sasime, the monarch expressed gratitude to Senator Tinubu and her team for the humanitarian gesture.