By Our Correspondent
The Federal Government has provided succour to this year’s flood victims in Ogbaru Federal Constituency of Anambra State, with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) distributing assorted food items to affected communities.
The relief materials, attracted by the member representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Victor Afam Ogene, included 400 bags of 25kg rice, 400 bags of 25kg beans, 200 cartons of spaghetti, 50 cartons of vegetable oil and 50 cartons of Maggi cubes.
The beneficiary communities are Ossamala, Obeagwe, Akili-Ogidi, Ogwuikpele, Ogwuanocha and Umunankwo.
The Head of Operations at NEMA’s Enugu Zonal Office, Mrs Pricilia Madukwe, accompanied by an official of the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the Coordinator of the State and Ogbaru Local Government Emergency Management Committee, Hon. Nnamdi Esimai, performed the symbolic flag-off of the distribution on Saturday at Iyiowa-Odekpe.
The ceremony featured the presentation of some of the relief materials to representatives of the affected communities.
Madukwe told the beneficiaries that the Federal Government released the items following a distress report made by Ogene, who appealed to the government to come to the assistance of his constituents affected by the floods.
She explained that following Ogene’s report, she led a team of NEMA officials to visit the flood-ravaged communities. Based on the agency’s findings and subsequent report, she said, the Federal Government directed that the relief materials be provided to the victims.
“Hon. Ogene loves you people. He paid for bringing these relief materials from Enugu to here. NEMA did not pay for it. So, you should always support him because he is trying for you,” the NEMA operations chief said.
Some of the beneficiaries who received the items during the flag-off ceremony included a nursing mother, Mrs Nwakonobi Favour, and a physically challenged man, Mr Oliver Ozoma.
Speaking separately, the beneficiaries commended the Federal Government and Ogene for coming to their aid.
Favour narrated that her house was submerged during the flood disaster, resulting in the destruction of all her household belongings.
Ozoma said that, in addition to his house being submerged, his farm was also flooded, resulting in the loss of all his crops, including yam, cassava and potatoes.
Favour, Ozoma and several other residents of the beneficiary communities, including Mr Oliver Inuchukwu and Uchechukwu Igwe, both from Ogwuikpele community, praised Ogene for what they described as his “compassionate spirit” and effective representation of the constituency at the National Assembly.
“This is not the first time Hon. Afam Ogene is bringing NEMA people to bring relief items to us since he went to the National Assembly.
He has done it before. So, this is the second time. We are praying God to bless him for us. We are going to make sure that he will go back to the House of Representatives in 2027,” Inuchukwu pledged.
Addressing the beneficiaries, Ogene directed that the relief materials be handed over to the leaders of the respective communities for proper distribution.
“These relief items are for everybody in the community. They are not going to be shared on a political party basis. This is not about politics. So, when you get to your communities, make sure that they are properly distributed. Use the formula you use in sharing things among yourselves and share whatever is given to your community,” Ogene charged the community leaders.
