The Kebbi Government has called on the Federal Government, local and international partners to urgently come to the aid of flood victims in the state.
Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed-BK, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, made the call at a news conference on the devastating impact of the flood disaster in Birnin Kebbi on Friday.
Ahmed-BK said that 16 out of the 21 local government areas were hard-hit, leaving 329,000 houses destroyed and 858,000 hectares of farmlands washed away by the disaster.
He listed some of the worst affected LGAs to include, Argungu, Birnin Kebbi, Ngaski, Jega, Augie, Yauri, Maiyama, Shanga, Koko-Besse, and Gwandu, among others.
“None of the 21 LGAs of the state was spared by this devastating flood and almost all households in the state are either directly or indirectly affected.
“This was in spite of all the proactive measures taken by the state government to stem the tide of the flood disaster.
“The state government promptly acted upon the flood alerts earlier received from Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Nigerian Hydrological Agency (NIHA).
“The disaster has hugely affected the livelihood of the generality of the people of the state, especially the rural dwellers.
“Seven victims were reportedly dead in Ngaski LGA, eight in Maiyama, five in Kalgo, seven in Jega and two in Birnin Kebbi local government area,” the commissioner said.
He also said that hundreds of thousands of tonnes of assorted farm produce had been destroyed by the flood, hence, impacting negatively on the state’s invaluable contributions to the nation’s food supply chain.
Ahmed-BK described the development as a bad omen for national food security, “as the state remained an indispensable hub of rice production in the country.”
He therefore, called for an urgent support to the affected farmers, adding that there was an impending food scarcity in the state and the country in general.
According to him, to prevent the impending doom, there is the need for well-meaning individuals and groups from within and outside the country to extend helping hands to the affected farmers.
“They should be assisted with assorted improved seeds and other inputs for them to engage in dry season farming, so as to empower them to bounce back.
“This will encourage and empower the farmers, bolster food production and ultimately have multiplier effects on Nigeria’s food supply chain,” he said.
Ahmed-BK recalled that the state government had set-up standing committees at the state and local government levels, with a view to assessing the extent of damages caused by the colossal flood disaster across the state.
He said that the essence was to come up with some measures and actions to assist the flood victims.
“But, due to the extent of damage caused by the disaster, there is the need for collective actions to assist the victims.
“Kebbi State Government is doing its best in this direction, but it needs the support of all and sundry, locally and internationally,” the commissioner pleaded.
He said that the committee established by the state government, led by the Deputy Gov., Sen. Umar Abubakar-Tafida, was working tirelessly to alleviate the impact of the flood on the victims.