The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has distributed relief items to 11,101 victims of the 2022 flood disaster as well as vulnerable groups in the FCT.

Mustapha Ahmed, director-general, NEMA, flagged off the items’ distribution at the agency’s Tunga Maji warehouse on Tuesday in Abuja.

The distribution was done under the federal government’s 2023 special national economic and livelihood emergency intervention (SNELEI) project.

Mr Ahmed said that the items distributed are expected to boost the socio-economic conditions of the beneficiaries selected from the six area councils in the FCT.

Mr Ahmed, represented by the supervisor in charge of SNELEI project in the FCT, Dahiru Yusuf, said the intervention was approved specifically for persons affected by last year’s flooding.

“The federal government approved the intervention specifically for people affected by the 2022 flood disasters and those classified as the most vulnerable persons across the country.

“Following the flood, search and rescue operations were successfully conducted in several locations where trapped persons were rescued and given necessary care.

“Immediately after the flood incident, damage and loss assessment were conducted and relief items approved by the federal government were delivered across the states to complement initial intervention by government,” he said.

He added that based on the assessments which were jointly conducted by NEMA and FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the federal government approved the special intervention.

Mr Ahmed said that the intervention is expected to drive a sustainable socio-economic resilience of the beneficiaries.

“These items are meant to bring succor to them and also enhance their economic capacity.

“The agricultural inputs such as crop seedlings and equipment are given to take farmers back to the land, stimulate crop production and safeguard our national food security in the middle economic downturn.

“The intervention is expected to stimulate value chain activities at the grassroots.

“At the same time, the livelihood support items are meant to help artisans to improve their businesses and grow the economy.

“We urge the beneficiaries to make proper use of the items to improve their socio-economic conditions,” he said.

He urged the beneficiaries to resist the temptation of selling the items, stressing that it would destroy the good intention of the federal government.

Also speaking, Abdulrahman Mohammed, director of relief and rehabilitation of FEMA, said the items would be evenly distributed to households within the six area councils.

“We did enumeration about three months ago and we put into consideration the six area councils and I must say that beneficiaries were evenly selected from the area councils.

“I believe these items will go a long way in relieving people’s plight, especially in this period of hardship,” he said.

Items distributed include; sewing machine, grinding machine, mosquito nets, nylon mat, blanket, foam mattresses, cooking put, cooking stove, detergents, toilet soap, and water pump.

Others are rice seedlings, herbicides, pesticides, growth enhancers, liquid fertilisers, 25kg rice, 10kg beans, 10kg sorghum, 2 litres of vegetable oil, salt, tomato paste and seasoning cubes.

(NAN)