The National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, has donated food items to victims of the recent Mokwa flood disaster.
Okoh visited the Niger State Government on Wednesday with a delegation of Christian leaders and presented the donation which including bags of rice, beans and maize.
Okoh, represented by the CAN Vice President, Stephen Panya, made the presentation at the Office of the Deputy Governor, Yakubu Garba.
He was received by the Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Abdullahi Arah and other officials from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.
Okoh expressed deep sorrow over the magnitude of destruction caused by the flood and the pain it has inflicted on the affected communities.
“The tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of the collective responsibility to support one another during times of distress,” he said.
He noted that the donation of food items was a demonstration of love and solidarity with the victims.
We are here to express our heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Niger State, particularly the Mokwa region, following the devastating flood disaster that led to the loss of lives, destruction of homes and the displacement of many families,” Okoh said.
The Permanent Secretary of the Humanitarian Ministry, Mairo Man, in her remark, disclosed that the state government has already redeemed its pledge of N1 billion, which she said has helped to shut down 90 per cent of the internally displaced persons camps across the state.
Panya in a chat with newsmen urged the Federal Government and emergency agencies to monitor the Rive Niger and its tributaries to ensure that the country averts the reoccurrence of the Mokwa flooding incident.
“We need to check on our early warning system. The River Niger and its tributaries need to be monitored especially when the raining season approaches to know if there is a chance that this River Niger will be flooded so that people who are near the river bank or who it is suspected will be in harms way can be forewarned a long time before the rains come.
“But of course, it all means that our national emergency agency needs to be prepared, especially in seasons like this, to meet and take care of victims of disasters so that every year they won’t be caught unawares and they won’t be handling natural disasters in an ad hoc manner. They should know by now that every year there is the rainy season,” he said.
