By Adedapo Adesanya
In collaboration with the Nigerian Air Force, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has started the airlifting of relief supplies to flood victims in Bayelsa.
The first tranche of aid includes 1,400 bags of 10kg rice, 1,400 bags of 10kg beans, 1,400 bags of 10kg maize, and 75 (20kg) bags of salt.
Non-food items received were 8,000 pieces of nylon mats, 1,000 pieces of mosquito nets, and 600 cartons of soap, among others.
The operation started on Thursday with the airlift of the items from Benin by the Nigerian Air Force 107 Air Maritime Group.
Receiving the items on behalf of Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa, Mr Angos Dide, Secretary of State Emergency Management Agency, commended the federal government for the supplies.
He also commended the Nigerian Air Force for assistance rendered to victims and recalled similar assistance in 2018.
Mr Dide said NEMA and SEMA would collaborate by moving to the most affected areas to distribute the items.
Mr Godwin Tepikor, the Coordinator of NEMA for the South-South Zone, said the items approved by the federal government would be judiciously distributed to victims.
He said the national government had long directed the issuance of relief materials to flood victims across the country.
“We could not access Bayelsa readily because the state was cut off from the rest of the country, and due to that it was difficult to move down with the materials provided by the government.
“We had to rely on our partner, the Nigerian Air Force, for assistance to move the items down,” he explained.
Mr Tepikor commended the Chief of Air Staff for approving the platform for the airlift of the food and non-food items to Bayelsa.
Only on Wednesday, Governor Diri said Bayelsa had not received relief materials for flood victims, though 21 states were listed for immediate succour.
He spoke when Governor Udom Emmanuel visited to donate N100 million to Bayelsa flood victims.
Bayelsa is one of the most affected states by the recent spate of floods in the country, which has caused the deaths of over 600 people and displaced 1.3 million from their homes.
Modupe Gbadeyanka