September 16, 2024
By Samuel Ogunsona
The Federal Government of Nigeria has received a generous donation of 50 tonnes of relief materials from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to support Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) affected by the recent floods in various parts of the country.
The relief items, which arrived at the Cargo Wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Sunday at 2:40 pm, were presented to the Nigerian government by UAE Ambassador, Salem Alshamsi.
According to Alshamsi, the donation is part of the UAE’s commitment to supporting countries affected by natural disasters, as directed by the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed Al Nahyan.
The aid aims to alleviate the hardship caused by the floods and provide much-needed support to those affected.
“This urgent humanitarian aid of 50 tonnes of basic supplies has been provided to our friendly people of Nigeria, to support areas affected by the recent floods.
“The UAE, as usual, is always helping nations affected by natural disasters. So we are happy to be here,” Alshamsi said.
On the other hand, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Ahmed Dunoma, who received the items praised the UAE Government and it people for their good gesture towards humanity.
He described the donation as unprecedented saying “It’s shows the good relationship between both countries”
“We want to seize this opportunity on behalf of Mr President to convey the appreciation of the Nigerian government and her people, to the President and the people of UAE.
“We believe that this will go a long way in ameliorating the sufferings of the people affected by this recent flood,” he said.
The Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, said “This does not only symbolise our partnership but also support at this dire time when so many areas of Nigeria have been flooded.
“It could not have come at a better time.
“I want to assure Nigerians that once we take custody of these items, they will be shared accordingly with those affected by the flood. That is an assurance.
“This will not only stop in Maiduguri. As of yesterday, parts of Enugu State were also being flooded. So we are going to target all areas, even Kaduna was slightly flooded two days ago.
“So we are going to target the whole country. I am sure that is what the government of UAE also wants us to do,” she said.
NEMA also noted that 29 of 36 states of the Federation with a total of 172 Local Governments Areas have been affected by extreme floods affecting 1,048,312 people, displacing 625,239, and resulting in 259 deaths between April to September 2024.
