Vice-President Kashim Shettima has reiterated the commitment of the federal government to partner with the 36 states and Abuja to curb floods and other natural disasters, revealing the approval of N108 billion for states.

Mr Shettima said President Bola Tinubu approved N3 billion for each of the 36 states to tackle natural disasters such as flooding and other environmental challenges.

”The President has shown his zeal, willingness and commitment to partner with the states towards addressing these issues,” Mr Shettima. “Recently, he approved the release of N3 billion to each state of the federation to address some of these challenges so that all parts of the federation should have buy-in and belonging.”

Mr Shettima said this on Wednesday when he received the speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The speaker was at the villa to commiserate with the vice-president over the ravaging flood that submerged Maiduguri following the Alau dam collapse in Borno.

According to him, the intervention is to give the subnational governments a sense of belonging, and he described the Maiduguri floods as a national calamity that affected not just the Borno state but also the entire country.

“It is a national calamity that has befallen us, and it is a concomitant effect of the incestuous relationship among climate change, ecology and the economy. From Bayelsa to Sokoto, there is hardly any part of this nation that has not been affected by these flooding incidences,” he said.

He, however, assured that with the zeal and willingness demonstrated by Mr Tinubu, the issue of flooding and other challenges in the states would soon be addressed.

Mr Shettima commended the speaker for what he described as his “stellar leadership in the National Assembly.

“Despite having nearly 70 per cent of the members as newly sworn-in, the speaker has been able to keep the flag flying. There is a lot of stability in the House of Representatives, and we have to commend you for providing that leadership.

“We wish you well, and, Insha Allah, you are one of the fulcrums of our democratic journey. A harmonious relationship among the executive, the legislature and the judiciary is very essential to sustain democracy in Nigeria,” said the vice-president.

Mr Abbas assured that the National Assembly would provide support for the affected communities.

(NAN)