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Tag: SEMA

  • Kebbi SEMA assures assembly of improved performance

    Kebbi SEMA assures assembly of improved performance

     

    The Kebbi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has assured the State Assembly that it would judiciously utilise the N5 billion approved for the organisation in the 2018 budget.

    The Chairman of the agency, Alhaji Sani Dododo, gave the assurance on Wednesday in Birnin Kebbi when the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation paid a courtesy visit to the agency.

    Dododo said the agency was satisfied with the allocation, adding that it would facilitate improvement in its performance.

    “The state assembly approved N5 billion to enable the agency to continue to carry out its humanitarian services to the people of the State.

    Read Also: Kebbi provide amenities at settlements

    “We urge the assembly to assist and cooperate with the agency for effective performance.

    “Also, we call on people of the state to always report any outbreak in their areas to the agency for appropriate action.”

    Earlier, the Committee Chairman, Alhaji Umaru Sarkin-Shanu, expressed satisfaction with the activities of the agency.

    He said that assembly would do everything possible to support and assist the agency to achieve its mandate.

    NAN

     

  • Communities raise alarm over cracks in Kaduna dam

    Communities raise alarm over cracks in Kaduna dam

    Six communities around Kangimi Dam in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State have called on the state government to quickly repair the damaged walls of the dam to avert imminent disaster.

    The communities in a statement said the walls of the dam had developed cracks after a thunder hit the site in October 2017.

    The statement signed by Malam Usman Jikan-Mudi, said thousands of communities living in the area now live in perpetual fear that the dam may burst at any time.

    “If you look at the place where the thunder struck, you will see clearly that water is coming out, some grasses are growing up from the cracked wall and once it is not tackled we are scared of what will follow.’’

    He listed the villages as, Gobirawa, Ruhogi, Barkonu, Cikaji, Unguwar Yamman Likoro and Girkawa.

    “There are thousands of people that are residing with their families in those villages, we are really afraid of what will happen when the dam breaks.

    “We are worried about the situation and are living in fear; we are scared of what will happen to everyone in this area.’’

    “Kangimi dam is the largest dam in the state and has many links to many  rivers and is the source of water for the state.’’

    Jikan-Mudi said the communities had written series of letters to the state Ministry of Water Resources and the Water Board without response.

    “It seems as if they don’t care about the lives of the people that are residing around the dam.

    “The volume of water in the dam is very high presently and it is advisable for the authorities concerned to start gradual release of the water.

    “We are begging the state government to come to our rescue.’’

    Also, the ward head of Gobirawa, Malam Umaru Gobirawa, said: “We are living in a critical situation and that is why we are calling on NEMA, SEMA, the Red Cross, and other humanitarian agencies, to intervene before we are washed away.

    “They should compel government to take quick action before it is too late.’’

    Responding, Alhaji Sa’idu Adamu, Councillor on Information and Communication Strategy to Gov. Nasiru El-Rufa’i, assured that the state government would respond swiftly to avert the impending disaster.

    “The governor will be intimated on the situation and I assure the communities that government is going to look into the situation and tackle it swiftly before any damage is done.’’

    NAN

  • Benue Attack: Humanitarian crises overwhelm Guma LGA

    Benue Attack: Humanitarian crises overwhelm Guma LGA

    The Chairman, Guma Local Government Area, Mr Anthony Shawon, said the invasion of some villages in the council area has left a huge humanitarian and environmental crises that needed urgent intervention.

    Shawon said on Monday in Makurdi that the herders, who invaded Saav, Mbadyen and Uvir villages on January 1, had retreated to the forest of Dogon Yashi, stretching from Guma to Logo on the banks of river Benue, covering over 57km long.

    Shawon, who lamented the destruction of crops, farms and houses by the invaders, said survivors of the invasion had left their ancestral homes and were looking for shelter in nearby towns.

    He said the state government had approved the setting up of camps for the displaced persons but regretted that the few already established were overcrowded by the Internally Displaced Persons ( IDPs ).

    Read also: Support Open Grazing Prohibition law, Benue Reps beg Buhari

    “The camps at Guma and Gbajimba are overcrowded, but the Benue State Emergency Management Agency ( SEMA ) is already handling the situation because as a local government, the scale is beyond us.”

    He regretted that the invaders, who were hiding in the Dogon Yashi forest, were still attacking villages, burning down houses and destroying crops.

    Shawon said the attackers were still destroying crops kept in farms such as soya beans, yams, guinea corn and rice.

    “They are openly grazing on farms after which they set them on fire,” he alleged.

    The chairman, however, commended the men of the Nigerian Army for their quick intervention in quelling the crisis.

    He appealed to the army to enter into the forest and dislodge the herders there.

    He accused the Kabawa community in Guma of ferrying food to herdsmen in the forest in exchange for cattle.

    Shawon, however, disclosed that the Kabawa people who carried food to the herders had been arrested by the police in Abinsi.

    He, however, regretted that the herdsmen were still carrying out open grazing in spite of the anti open grazing law on an open stretch of land from Mbagwen to Lokobi in the Local Government Area.

    According to him, that place is still open for invasion as the herdsmen are still doing open grazing there.

    Meanwhile, Gov. Samuel Ortom has set aside Thursday, January 11 for the mass burial of the 71 victims of the invasion while Tuesday and Wednesday had been declared days of mourning.

    The flag will fly at half mast while government offices will close at 1 p.m.

    NAN

  • Over 40,000 persons displaced in Benue gunmen attack – SEMA

    Over 40,000 persons displaced in Benue gunmen attack – SEMA

    Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said over 40,000 persons had been displaced following the recent gunmen attack in Guma and Logo Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

    The Executive Secretary of SEMA, Mr Emmanuel Shior told news men in Makurdi on Friday that the agency had opened four camps for the displaced persons in the affected areas.

    Shior disclosed that Gov. Samuel Ortom had been extremely worried over the plight of the people.

    “As we speak over 40,000 persons have so far been displaced as a result of the attacks on our people in Guma and Logo LGAs.

    “Government has decided to open four camps, three in Guma LGA and one in Logo LGA, the camps in Guma LGA are in Daudu, Gbajimba and Agasha, while the camp in Logo LGA is in Ugba,” he said.

    Read Also: 20 killed, 30 injured in Benue by herdsmen 

    Shior said that the state government decided to locate the camps in areas considered safest in the LGAs for security reasons.

    “The camps are in areas that are safe and enough security has being provided for the safety of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    “What we are doing at the moment is to open temporary camps except the one in Daudu that already has existing camp facilities, the others camps are situated in primary schools located in the areas.

    “We do not hope to keep them in the camps for a long time, remember this is January and most of the affected persons are farmers who are still harvesting their crops,” he said.

    Shior said that government was concerned about the security of the people and their communities to enable them to return  back to their homes instead of staying in the camps.

    He assured the IDPs that though they were displaced they were not misplaced as government and his agency would do everything possible to give them minimum comfort.

  • Kebbi records 16 deaths from 140 destroyed houses

    Kebbi records 16 deaths from 140 destroyed houses

    The Kebbi State Emergency Management Agency ( SEMA ) says it recorded 16 deaths from 140 destroyed residential houses in 2017.

    The Executive Director of the agency, Alhaji Abbas Kamba, made this known in an interview in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday.

    Kamba said the data on the loss of houses was obtained from the state Fire Service Department, stressing that fire incidents also resulted in the loss of property worth billions of Naira during the period under review.

    He said the agency also recorded incidents of destructive windstorm at Maiyama, Gwandu, Aliero and Birnin Kebbi Local Government Areas where 90 per cent of the residential houses were destroyed while many people were injured.

    Kamba revealed that many lives and properties were lost on daily basis due to road crashes in the state.

    “In 2017, record shows that 46 crashes involving 41 commercial and 25 private vehicles led to the death of 55 people and 216 people injured during the period,” he said.

    Read also: Six filling stations shut in Sokoto, Kebbi

    According to him, flood also destroyed many residential properties in Birnin Kebbi, Jega, Aliero, Bagudo and Dandi Local Government Areas of the state.

    “Canoe and boat accidents along Dole Kaina and Yauri waterways also led to loss of lives and property in 2017,” Kamba said.

    He said the agency collaborated with the National Orientation Agency ( NOA ) to sensitise residents on how to handle inflammable materials during harmatan period across the state in order to reduce fire incidents.

    “We organised sensitisation workshop involving road managers and road users to reduce road crashes; we developed strategies on migrants and migration issues in the state; trained grass root emergency volunteer groups and traditional rulers on emergency issues, among other measures,” he said.

    The executive director said the agency would map out proactive strategies in 2018 to reduce loss of property and lives through disasters.

    NAN

  • Rape in Yobe IDP camp is false – SEMA

    Rape in Yobe IDP camp is false – SEMA

    Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on Saturday refuted media reports alleging rape of some of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camped in Damaturu.

    “The report is misleading, lacking substance and without any iota of truth,” Musa Jidawa, SEMA’s  Permanent Secretary said in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu.

    According to him, the agency has provided adequate security at the government run camp in Pompomari to guard against such cases.

    He added that community leaders in other camps located in Kukareta, Kasaisa, Mohammed Gombe farm and YBC Abare have developed a very effective security network to protect the inmates of all abuses including rape.

    Jidawa who is also the chairman security and protection sector of humanitarian agencies in the state, noted that the media report had claimed that 30 rape cases were recorded, “yet no local or international humanitarian agency in the state came across any.”

    The official cautioned agencies and organizations operating outside the state from accepting unverified reports, saying it was important to cross check with stakeholders operating on ground.

    “It is very worrisome for any credible organization to dish out sensitive information without corroborating or verification from organizations who are on ground” Jidawa said.

  • EFCC arrests Gombe SEMA Secretary

    EFCC arrests Gombe SEMA Secretary

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested the Gombe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Secretary, Dr Danlami Rukuje, over alleged diversion of materials meant for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    The arrest was disclosed on the commission’s website monitored on Saturday in Lagos by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    Rukuje was arrested following a tip-off received by the Intelligence and Special Operations Section (ISOS) of the commission.

    The arrest was carried out by the EFCC officials at the Gombe Zonal Office on Wednesday.

    “The materials, which include cans of paints and bags of cement meant as building materials donated to the state by the Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiatives (PCNI) never made it to the IDP camps.

    “Investigations revealed that they were, instead, diverted to other areas including markets for sale.

    “A team of operatives acting on the information, immediately swung into action and located shops where the materials were being sold.

    “The Gombe State Fertiliser Grinding Plant, where some of the materials were kept, was also raided.

    “A storekeeper at the state’s Emergency Agency, Isa Garba, was subsequently arrested.

    “Further investigations led to the arrest of a staff of the state’s Fertiliser Grinding Plant, Mu’azu Suleman.

    “The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded,’’ the commission said.

  • EFCC arrests SEMA official over items diversion

    EFCC arrests SEMA official over items diversion

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Gombe Zonal Office, has arrested the Secretary of Gombe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr. Danlami Arab Rukuje, over alleged diversion of materials meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    A statement signed by the Commission’s Public Relations Officer in Gombe, Mr. Bello Bajoga, in Gombe on Wednesday, said the arrest followed a tip-off by the Intelligence and Special Operations Section (ISOS) of the office.

    Bajoga said the materials diverted included cans of paints and bags of cement and other building materials donated to the state by the Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiative (PCNI).

    He said investigation revealed that the materials were diverted to other areas including markets for sale.

    “A team of operatives acting on the information immediately swung into action and located shops where the materials were being sold.

    “The Gombe State Fertiliser Grinding Plant where some of the materials were kept was also raided,” he said.

    According to the spokesman, the store keeper at the state’s emergency agency, Isa Garba, and that of the Fertiliser Grinding Plant, Mu’azu Suleman, were also arrested.

    NAN

     

  • SEMA gives N2.23m to victims of fire, rainstorm in Delta

    SEMA gives N2.23m to victims of fire, rainstorm in Delta

    The Delta State Emergency Management Agency has presented N2.23 million cash to 13 victims of fire and rainstorm in the state, including an 89-year-old woman.

    The state Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Ernest Ogwezzy, said during the presentation of the cash gifts in Asaba that the gesture was aimed at ameliorating the condition of the victims.

    Each of the beneficiaries received between N50,000 and N500,000.

    He, however, noted that no monetary compensation by the government could adequately mitigate their losses.

    Ogwezzy said he led SEMA officials on inspection and assessment visit to Ubulu-Uku in Aniocha South local government area of the state on April 12, following the destruction of properties worth millions of naira by rainstorm and fire.

    He said, “It was observed during the assessment and inspection visit that the fire and the rainstorm disasters had a devastating effect on the victims.

    “SEMA recommended the provision of financial assistance to the tune of N2.23m to ameliorate the condition of the victims.”

    The commissioner, however, urged the people to plant trees around their homes to serve as wind breakers and check the impact of rainstorms.

    NAN

     

  • Borno IDPs appeal to government on poor feeding

    Borno IDPs appeal to government on poor feeding

    Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Borno on Monday appealed to the State Government to improve current arrangements made for their feeding.

    Some of the IDPs told newsmen at the Teacher’s Village camp in Maiduguri, that current feeding arrangement in the camp was not favourable to them.

    The IDPs particularly accused the State Emergency Management Agency [SEMA] of diverting food meant for them.

    One of the inmates, Hajja Falmata Bukar noted that the commendable efforts of the Federal and Borno Governments of providing adequate food for their feeding was being frustrated by the SEMA officials.

    “We all know that the Federal Government had been supplying large quantities of food for the feeding of the IDPs. The State Government has also been trying.

    “But the problem has to do with SEMA officials who are entrusted with the tasks of sharing the food to people living in the camps,” she said.

    According to her, SEMA officials have not supplied food to the IDPs for several weeks in spite of complaints.

    “For the past six weeks we have not gotten food supplies in this camp.

    “They rushed in some supplies when they realized that officials of the UN Security Council were coming on a visit,” Bukar claimed.

    She said that even then, the food supplied was inadequate.

    “When they abolished the centralized cooking for the IDPs, we were very happy, because we thought every IDP will now get enough food to feed his family.

    “But sadly, the problem has not abated as the food ration usually supplied to households is grossly inadequate,” Bukar said.

    She added:” How do you expect a family of six to survive for one month with a 25 kg bag of rice and two liter of cooking oil. This is grossly inadequate”.

    Malam Jumai Maisalati another IDP corroborated the claim saying that the problem had forced some IDPs to beg for food outside the camp to survive.

    “Many of us have turned into beggars because we have to get food to feed our children,” Maisalati said.

    She accused officials in charge of sharing the food of engaging in stealing.

    “They have been diverting food meant for the IDPs to the market.

    “We are appealing to the governor to intervene and ensure Justice,” Maisalati said.

    Mallam Musa Bello, another IDP said the best option was to handover the camp to the World Food Program (WFP).

    “We want the State Government to allow the WFP take over the feeding in the camp, like the case in some camps.

    “I am saying this because the IDPs been fed by the WFP are hundred times better than us,” Bello. said.

    He also called for the removal of top management of SEMA, accusing them of mismanagement.

    “I think the only solution to the problem of poor feeding in IDP camps is for government to sack the management of SEMA and appoint a new one”.

    Reacting to the claims, the SEMA Chairman, Mallam Ahmad Satomi denied the allegation of diversion of food items meant for IDPs.

    “The allegation is untrue, non of our officials have ever engaged in flood diversion in camps.

    “The IDPs will always complain no matter what you give them, most of them sell their food ration as soon as they are given and continue to complain of hunger,” Satome said.