Why Gov Al-Makura Must Give Vivid Account Of The N400m Relief Fund By Rabiu Omaku,Lafia
- Victims received N3000, N2000 relief Package
- The Chief Executive Swindle N4010m-PDP chairman
The recent interview with the state chairman of the People’s Democratic Party in Nasarawa state, Chief Yunana Iliya over the sudden disappearance of the N400m dole out to the victims of the terrific flood disaster that wreak havoc to communities in the state, The chairman of the opposition party insisted that governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura is risking the anti-graft agency if he failed to give vivid account of the whereabouts of the N400m,The aimed of the money was defeated barely two years after the devastation caused on schools, bridges, farmland produce, health centres and worship places.
The money dole out is now history as victims of the deluge calamity are still leave in the debris of their houses, The questions that needed ardent answer was what happen to the chunk of relief package donated with the sole aimed of rebuilding destroyed facilities as well paid compensation to individual affected in the flood ?.
Majority of the victims who spoke to our reporter confirmed that only a paltry amount of N3000 -N2000 were distributed to the victims without tangible attention accorded to their plight, Aftermaths of the extensive damages caused to inhabitants leaving around the River Niger and Benue trough, The Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency team are yet to conduct on the spot assessment of the damages wreak on communities.
The concerted effort to relocate communities at high risk places was a nightmare, The must devastated community of Guto in Nasarawa Local Government as at press time remain a shadow of itself lacking basic amenities of livelihood, It was a tales of divisionary reports by the chief executive ,governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura reasons been that no concrete information was given on the whereabouts of the relief fund, This formed the basis of the state House of Assembly to come up with an impeachment plot against the governor.
The state government inspite of series of inquest by the opposition and the media on the whereabouts of the N400m ,The answered remained the same, Both the governor and the Executive secretary of NASEMA affirmed that the relief package was intact in a special account, The state government was grappling with grim situation to refund the N350m relief package, The speech of the E.S of NASEMA boss, “Out of the N400m relief Package the agency procured vehicle and other expenses to the tune of N50m ,Said Dr.Abubakar Idris in his subsequent interview with our reporter
“As I’m speaking to you now the remaining N350m was kept in a safe account, But detailed of the account was not given to our correspondent ,The E.S denied the grapevine widely spread that the state government hijacked all NASEMA activities, It was open that the agency was not given an open hand to operate.
Challenges of NASEMA
Absence of free hands also potent k-leg to the agency
Crisis of supremacy between the chairman of the constituted committee on the distribution of relief package and the executive secretary compelled the committee to submit its report to the governor through the back-door with the sticky situation, The aim of setting up the committee was death before arrival.
There was no accurate statistic of victims killed, properties devastated due to lack of on the spot assessment by NASEMA, To this moment no member of the committee visited the area instead they committee members were indulged in fierce battle over allowances of work not done.
Another challenge that created confusion during the committee’s assignment was the decision of the chairman to foist the agency’s executive secretary to use the findings of the agency as a basis of the findings of the committee instead of conducting fresh findings.
Another challenge was the absence of Internally Displaced Persons camp. No registration of IDP’s was conducted as it was done in some places, Another area the PDP chairman raised eyebrow is the N10m donated to the victims of Assakio ethnic clash, The chairman questioned the rationale that makes the governor to delay the distribution of the relief fund donated to the displaced persons, This bring the amount in question runs into N410m been diverted by the governor.
Assakio ethnic clash, The chairman questioned the rationale that makes the governor to delay the distribution of the relief fund donated to the displaced persons, This bring the amount in question runs into N410m been diverted by the governor.
