The North East Development Commission (NEDC), in partnership with the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), has distributed food and non-food relief materials to 2,038 people affected by a recent windstorm in Gashua, Bade Local Government Area of Yobe State.
The intervention, according to the NEDC, is aimed at supporting families whose homes and livelihoods were affected by the disaster.
Representing the NEDC Managing Director, Mohammed Alkali, at the distribution exercise, the commission’s Yobe State Coordinator, Ali Abbas, said the agency was responding to the devastation caused by the windstorm in recent weeks.
He disclosed that all 2,038 registered beneficiaries would receive relief materials, while 250 beneficiaries were presented with items symbolically during the event. The items distributed included bags of rice, mosquito nets, blankets and children’s materials.
Abbas also urged residents to maintain clean surroundings by clearing drainage channels to help reduce the risk of flooding in the area.
The Director of Rescue Operations at the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Jalo, commended the NEDC for its continued support to disaster victims across the state. He appealed for additional assistance to help affected communities recover.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Bade Local Government Area, Ibrahim Babagana, and the member representing Bade West in the Yobe State House of Assembly, Sanda Karabade, thanked the NEDC for the intervention. They urged beneficiaries to make proper use of the relief materials and not sell them, noting that monitoring measures had been put in place.
Before the distribution exercise, the delegation paid a courtesy visit to the Emir of Bade, Abubakar Umar-Suleiman, to inform him about the humanitarian intervention.