The Nation Newspaper

Tag: State Emergency Management Agency

  • Fire victims beg Ikpeazu for assistance

    Traders of F-line, Asa Nnentu Motor Spare Parts Market, whose shops were gutted by a midnight fire, are urging the state and federal government to assist them financially.

    They are also appealing for assistance from the National State Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

    The Nation learnt that the traders lost goods worth over N400 million to the inferno.

    It was gathered that efforts to draw the attention of the men of the Abia State Fire Service to the ugly situation proved abortive. Some traders and some sympathisers rushed  to the market during the incident and stopped the fire from spreading into other nearby shops in the area.

    Some of the affected victims, who spoke to our reporter, said that life has become unbearable for them.

    They are worried about how to settle their  loans.

    They are also afraid that the education of their children will be in jeopardy if they fail to pay their school fees. Some of them said their landlords were already on their necks demanding their house rents.

    A trader, Comrade Ajaegbu Morrison, who is also the Secretary of Patrons of Asa Nnentu Motor Spare Parts Market, described the incident as devastating.

    He appealed to the authorities to come to their assistance.

    Ajaegbu said: “I sell Japanese body spare parts and some suspensions. That is what I specialised on. I was about to pray to go to bed when my phone rang. I checked my phone to see who was calling and it was one of my neighbors that was calling.

    “My neighbor told me that he learnt that our market was on fire and that it was mainly on F-Line where my shop is located. After some minutes, I got another call from a neighbor too, telling me that my shop was among the shops that were razed down by the inferno.

    “It was at that time that I decided to come and see things for myself and by the time I arrived, it was flame and dust that engulfed the whole area.

    “About twelve shops were affected by the inferno. We don’t use electricity here and so, we can’t say that it was caused by power surge. We don’t have any petrol in our shops. So, there is no way it could be fuel or electricity.

    “However, when we came back in the morning, we noticed that there was fire in the borrow pit at the back of our shops where the contractors rehabilitating the Aba-Enugu-Port Harcourt road comes to excavate red mud from. How it got to my shops and my neighbours, I can’t really tell.

    “We are appealing to the federal, state and Ugwunagbo local government authorities to come to our aide.

    “Since the fire incident occurred, we are doing practically nothing. We have been sitting here, praying to God to send helpers to our way.

    “We have reached out to the local government chairman and have been making efforts to reach the state government. They are yet to come and we are not giving up yet. We will continue to make efforts to see that even the lawmakers representing us; Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and Hon. Uzoma Abonta and well-meaning Abians to come to our aid.

    “We lost over N400m. One of the car engines that got burnt here is over N1million. If you calculate the buildings and the motor spare parts in the shops, it will even be more than that. That is why we are calling on the state governor to come to our aide.

    “We are not happy that such a thing happened to us. It is not our plans to disturb him, but in this case, we are only appealing to the governor and other well-meaning Abians and Nigerians to come to our aide. It is too much on us to bear.

    “The federal government through NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency) should please come to our rescue. We have our house rents and children’s school fees to pay this January and yet, fire engulfed where we had hoped to raise money from. The impact of this on us is huge.”

    Another victim, Chukwudi Alexander Anucha, a native of Isiala Ngwa South, while fighting hard to hold back tears, corroborated Morrison’s account of the inferno.

    According to him, when he got to the scene, all his goods had been engulfed.

    Read also: Ikpeazu urges INEC, security agencies to ensure free, fair, credible elections

    “Before the fire incident, I went to the bank to withdraw all the money that I have to buy and stock goods in my shop.

    “There is an engine that I bought for over a million. Some people have already indicated interest in buying the engine. They were supposed to come and pay for the engine in the morning of the unfortunate inferno.

    “There are other engines that people have a substantial amount of money which they were planning to finish payment this January.

    “We are now surviving through the assistance of some friends and relatives. We are asking for the assistance of government. There is absolutely nothing that was saved from our shops. We are pained by the loss and hope that the appropriate authorities, including our dear Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, will come to our aid. We can barely afford a square meal for our family, but with their assistance, we are confident that we are going to come out of this stronger.”

  • Ondo communities, oil firms hold talks on sea incursion

    The Ilaje Regional Development Council (IRDC) is saddled with the task of developing the oil-rich communities of Ondo State has met with stakeholders in the coastal communities of Ilaje Local Government Area to discuss the issue of inclusive participation in the affairs of the community for sustainable development.

    The meeting which took place at Molutehin Town Hall in Molutehin community had in attendance traditional chiefs, women and youths from the eight communities along the coastline.

    All stakeholders had the opportunity to speak on issues that are bothering them. The aim was to proffer solutions to such bottled-up resentment.

    IRDC was set up by the state government as go-between among the oil companies and its host communities so as to create an environment for peace, growth and development.

    Recall that the state government recently set up a delegation led by the Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi that provided relief materials, through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for some communities affected by sea incursion.

    Addressing the meeting, the Chairman of IRDC, Prince Adekunle Omomowo thanked the government and the oil companies for giving them the opportunity to interface with members of the communities.

    He also praised the people for embracing peace despite their numerous challenges.

    Omomowo assured the host communities that the state government and the oil companies were more determined to prioritise their welfare.

    He, therefore, pleaded with the people to continue to support every peace initiative.

    Omomowo, however, enlightened the people on the role of IRDC and the GMoU existing among the host communities and the oil companies.

    He said: “We are here to create awareness, and to let you know what GMoU is. What is the role of IRDC? For the purpose of emphasis, GMoU is an agreement between the oil-producing communities and the oil companies operating in their land while IRDC is an organisation that interface with the oil communities and the oil companies so as to ensure that the GMoU that exists among them to  be  fulfilled.”

    Omomowo promised to build on the legacy of his predecessors by engaging the oil companies to provide infrastructure, social welfare scheme for the aged, youth empowerment and building of mother and child hospital for safe delivery, among others.

    Chief Ilemobaye Mese, on behalf of traditional chiefs expressed grievances on the activities of the oil companies which he said had rendered them homeless without any compensation.

    He noted that none of the GMoUs that exist among the oil companies and the oil-producing communities has been implemented, saying the youth were equally neglected in the area of employment.

    Mese called on the state government to come to their aid by prevailing on the oil companies to embark on sea embankment and pilling so as to reduce the trend of sea incursion.

     

  • Bagudu counsel Igbo community on peaceful coexistence

    Gov. Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi, has advised the Igbo community to ensure peaceful coexistence in their respective places of abode across the state.

    Bagudu, represented by Board Chairman, State Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Sani Dododo, gave the advice at the launching of the second edition of Igbo Community Association Almanac in Birnin Kebbi, on Tuesday.

    ”Am calling on all Igbo communities in 21 local governments of the state to continue to support state and Federal  Government policies and programmes  to move the state forward,” he said.

    Read Also: Bagudu threatens to sanction contractors over poor job

    He assured the community of the administration’s commitment to sustain the existing peaceful coexistence among residents of the state.

    Earlier, the Vice President of Igbo community, Mr Jonas Nwafor, expressed appreciation to the state government for supporting the Igbo community.

    Nwafor said the Igbo community believed in the corporate existence of the country and assured that the members would sustain existing peace and unity among all tribes in the state.

  • Flood: ‘Why we don’t want to relocate to IDP camps’

    As flood continues to ravage many communities in Anambra State following steady downpour, many affected communities have refused to heed to the call by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to relocate to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.

    As a result of the natural disaster, socio-economic activities have been completely shut down in the affected communities, while those residing in areas yet to be affected were sleeping with one eye closed.

    No fewer than 10 communities in Anambra West Local Government Area alone have been submerged by the flood.

    Even when few simply relocated to neighbouring towns yet to be affected, and some to upland within the community, majority are still trapped in their locations.

    Southeast Report reliably gathered that the refusal of the residents to heed to the call by the SEMA may not be unconnected with the cost implications of relocation.

    Those who spoke to our correspondent lamented the distance of the camps from the communities as well as the condition of the camps.

    They said some of the IDP camps were under construction, appealing to government to set up emergency response unit in the area.

    The President-General of Innoma Community, Mr Patrick Ugboja, said his community was in dire need of emergency intervention to avoid loss of lives.

    He said many residents of the area could not afford the cost of relocation to various IDP camps set up by state government as the camps were far from the communities.

    “We appeal to NEMA/SEMA and the state government to assist in relocating us to IDP camps, which are far from us as most of us cannot afford the cost of transporting ourselves there,’’ Ugboja said.

    Also speaking, President-General of Nzam Communnity, Prince Uche Okolo, lamented that about 40 per cent of the community’s landmass had been taken over by flood.

    “Most of our people affected have been relocated to dry lands not yet affected. Our farms and crops have been completely destroyed,’’ he said.

    According to him, their IDP camp was undergoing construction, even as he called for an emergency response unit to rescue people who might be trapped.

    In Olumbanasa Community, which is made up of Odeh, Odekpe, Igbokenyi, and Egbede villages, schools, churches and farmlands were adversely affected.

    President-General of the community, Mr Lawrence Nnachor, revealed that farm produce and economic trees worth millions of naira had been destroyed by the disaster.

    He noted that Odeh village was the most affected by the ravaging flood, appealing to government to assist in relocating inhabitants of the community.

    At Umueze Anam, virtually 60 per cent of households and farm lands have been affected.

    A community leader in the area, Mr Chinwuba Muoba said: “The flood is coming with high current and about 60 per cent of houses in our community are completely submerged.

    “Most of the people affected have relocated to neighbouring towns yet to be affected, while some have relocated to upland within the community.

    He explained that they were not ignorant of the holding centres within the locality, but said they were yet to move because the volume of flood had not reached alarming proportions.

    On his part, a counsellor in Mmiata Anam, Mr Osita Uduaka, Ifite-Anam, Mmata, Umuoba-Abegu and Iyioraa, described the flood as serious threat to their lives as appreciable percentage of inhabitants had already been affected.

    “We appeal to government to evacuate our people in case of emergency,’’ Uduaka said.

    Southeast Report further gathered that five communities-Ezi-Anam, Umuikwu, Umudora, Umuewelum-Anam and Oroma-Etiti-Anam have been completely submerged by the flood as the inhabitants were spotted vacating the areas.

    The story was not different in Igala-speaking communities of the council area where not less than 80 per cent of Innoma residents had their farmlands and household items destroyed by the raging flood.

  • Flooding in Kogi State

    Heavy rains experienced in Kogi State during the year has continued to wreak havoc, claiming lives and destroying properties, with scores of communities already submerged by flood in the Kotonkarfe area.

    The severity of the situation was which was witnessed by members of the State Emergency Management Agency, led by the Director of Relief and Rehabilitation,

    The State Emergency Management Agency confirmed that more than 60 villages were submerged by flood in the last one month.

    A representative of Head of Operations at the NEMA headquarters, Abuja, Reuben Babatunde, during an on the spot assessment to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp at Edeha, confirmed that at least one live was lost to the flood.

    According to him: “The state has set up five temporary camps for victims, in collaboration with the local government, and that is why NEMA is here to assess the situation. This is a natural disaster but NEMA would do its best to respond as fast as possible.

    “The local government official said that 64 villages have been submerged.”

    Read Also: Kogi: PDP task National Chairman on fairness, equity

    The Kogi Government on Monday advised residents of flood-prone communities in the state to relocate to a safer place, to avoid loss of lives and property.

    The Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Sanusi Yahaya, made the announcement in a statement issued issued in Lokoja.

    “The Kogi State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources wishes to announce to members of the public, especially those in the nine flood-prone local government areas to relocate.

    “In view of the heavy rainfall recorded so far this year due to climate change, as well as the high volume of water from tributaries of Rivers Niger and Benue, which has led to steady rise in water level of the rivers, as confirmed by our monitoring team.

    “This development may likely cause flooding in some flood-prone LGAs: Omala, Bassa, Kogi/Kotonkarfe, Lokoja, Ajaokuta, Ofu, Idah, Ibaji, and Igalamela/Odolu.

    “The ministry, therefore, strongly appeal and request the people living in these flood-prone LGAs, particularly those living close to river banks, to start moving to safer ground, to avoid loss of lives and property in the event of flood.”

    He said that the state government had started preparing temporary shelters for flood victims in the event of emergencies.

  • Gombe YESSO identifies 41,871 poor, vulnerable persons in 3 LGAs

    Gombe State office of Nigeria Youth Empowerment and Social Support Operation ( YESSO ) has identified 41,871 poor and vulnerable persons from three local government areas of the state to be assisted.

    Mr Melton Sundu, the Monitoring and Evaluation officer of YESSO Gombe disclosed this to the News men in Gombe on Tuesday.

    Sundu said the figure was derived from 15,342 households in Balanga Nafada and Yamaltu-Deba local government areas.

    He said out of the number identified, 12, 559 were already uploaded on its website, adding that the organisation was currently working on the remaining figures.

    He said the aim of the exercise was to obtain a single register of the poor and vulnerable persons in the state to effectively assist them.

    According to him, the programme is designed by the Federal Government in collaboration with the World Bank to address the rate of poverty among individuals and to empower the youths.

    “The register will make things easier whenever the need arises to assist them,’’ he said.

    Read Also: Dankwambo…Architect of transformed Gombe at 56

    Sundu said the organisation would soon capture the remaining eight local government areas in Gombe, to ascertain number of poor and vulnerable in the state.

    He said the organisation had also gotten number of Internally Displaced Persons ( IDPs ) in the state from the National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA ) and State Emergency Management Agency ( SEMA ).

    The monitoring and evaluation officer said the exercise was to verify and authenticate the number of IDPs in the state that would benefit from the Federal Government’s packages for those who want to go back to their homes.

    He said packages such as relocation, settlement and feeding were available to the IDPs by the state in collaboration with the Federal Government.

    “But those who do not want to go back to their respective states they are only entitled to feeding.’’

    NAN

  • Update: 5 dead, 39 injured in Maiduguri multiple explosions

    Update: 5 dead, 39 injured in Maiduguri multiple explosions

    Five persons have been confirmed dead as suicide bombers suspected to be Boko Haram members attacked the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camp in Dalori, Borno state on Wednesday.

    The Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) chairman, Satomi Ahmad confirming the incident to newsmen in Maiduguri said five IDPs members and 39 others sustained various degrees of injuries in the suicide bomb attack.

    Satomi said that a female suicide bomber infiltrated the IDPs camp and detonated explosive killing herself and five other people, while 39 others were wounded.

    He said the second suicide bomber detonated improvised explosive device at the entrance of Dalori residential quarters and blew herself to pieces.

    According to him, there was no casualty in the second attack.

    The chairman added that the wounded had been taken to the Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri

    Dalori camp is located on the road from Maiduguri to Konduga, Bama, and the border between Nigeria and Cameroon, 15 kilometres south-east of Maiduguri.

    The camp has been targeted many times by suspected Boko Haram terrorist group. Worst of these attacks occurred on January 30, 2016, when at least 86 people were killed and at least 62 injured.

  • Yobe govt reunites 216 deportees from Libya with families

    The Yobe State government at the weekend reunited additional 216 persons deported from Libya with their families in the state.

    Commissioner for Justice and Chairman of Repatriation Committee Alhaji Ahmed Goniri handed over the deportees to their respective local council chairmen in Damaturu.

    He said 182 of the 216 persons were indigenes of the state, while 33 others were from Niger Republic and one from Borno.

    “They initially claimed to be from Yobe state but on profiling, we realised that 33 were from border communities in Niger Republic while one was from Borno.

    “We have now handed over the Nigeriens to the state Controller of Immigration for onward repatriation to their country,” he said.

    The commissioner lauded Governor Ibrahim Gaidam for his speedy approval to evacuate the returnees.

    Alhaji Musa Jidawa, the Permanent Secretary, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said the evacuation of the returnees has given the deportees and their families a sense of belonging.

    He said the deportees were screened by relevant security agencies, medical personnel and humanitarian organisations.

    “We have put a technical mechanism in place to effectively monitor the delivery of the deportees to their communities,” he said.

    29 persons were earlier deported from Libya and repatriated to the state last week.

    Malam Abba Modu, one of the deportees, commended the Yobe government for moving them from PortHarcourt to the state.

    “Gov. Gaidam acted like a true father to all of us by repatriating us back home,” Modu said.

     

  • 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 ).

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    “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

  • 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.