Reps turn down N300bn allocation for Borno flood relief

…He left the commission unquestioned ex-governor’s aide

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected a proposal to remove N300bn from the federation account to assist the humanitarian crisis in Borno following the flood disaster in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Recall that a heavy flooding which followed the collapse of the Alau Dam led to the death of over 40 persons even as the Palace of the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar El-Kanemi, the Maiduguri Correctional Centre, among other public institutions were severely damaged.
Moving a motion of urgent public importance on the floor of the House during plenary sitting on Wednesday, the member representing Jaba/Zangon/Kataf Federal Constituency, Amos Magaji lamented the impact of the flooding, noting that houses, markets and many health facilities were affected.
Speaking on the impact the flood left on the Maiduguri University Teaching Hospital, Magaji noted that the tertiary health institution is no longer accessible for use by the public.
He said, “The renowned Cancer Centre in the facility, which is lauded as one of the largest in the country, was submerged in the flood, thereby damaging all high-end equipment in the centre, while wards at the lower level of the facilities were also severely flooded, including all medical records, administrative records, files, amongst many other things destroyed.
“That electricity power supply in the facility has devastatingly collapsed, largely due to precautions taken to avoid electrocution, as transformers and other power sources in the facility were also submerged in the flood.”
He argued that if no urgent intervention is made to address the devastation of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, “The people of Borno State are at great risk of succumbing to any disease outbreak resulting from the flooding.”
Contributing to the motion, the member representing Yamaltu Deba Federal Constituency, Gombe State, Inuwa Garba proposed an amendment to urge the Federal Government to give victims of the flood a special grant of N300bn to cushion the effect of the humanitarian disaster.
“While individuals can continue to come up with their donations, the Federal Government should give the victims of the Maiduguri flood a special grant of about N300bn,” Inuwa said.
When the amendment was put into voice vote by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas who presided over the plenary; lawmakers voted against it and the House thereafter urged the Federal Government to provide support for the victims without as much as it could.
On his part, the lawmaker representing Kanke/Pankshin/Kanam Federal Constituency, Plateau State, Yusuf Gagdi, described the tragedy as worrisome, saying, “People have been displaced and businesses lost. The government and well-meaning individuals have done a lot but no matter the level of contribution, the gap left by this disaster cannot be fully addressed.”