A Pan Arewa sociocultural association, the Northern Reform Organisation (NRO), has appealed to philanthropists and state governments who announced donations to victims of the Maiduguri flood to redeem their pledges, to enable those victims to receive their good gesture and cushion the present predicament they were passing through.
Making the appeal on Thursday, when speaking at a press conference in Kano, the Secretary-General of the NRO, Abdulkadir Yusuf Gude, said such donations would go a long way in alleviating the suffering of the victims.
However, it will be recalled that the catastrophic flood that submerged the northeastern city was a result of the breakage and overflow of the Alau Dam.
He added that the devastating flood that rocked Maiduguri, Borno State, was a result of neglect of the Alau Dam.
NRO also welcomes the patriotic gestures of well-meaning Nigerians, the Federal and State Governments, and corporate organisations for their quick intervention in the form of mass donations to support relief activities,” he said.
“We fervently appeal to all concerned to speed up the actualisation of their various pledges and redeem them in good time to make the relief administration more effective. We call on other good-spirited individuals, groups, and organisations to come to the aid of the Maiduguri flood victims.
“Nigerians of all shades and backgrounds should attend to the dire needs of the affected communities badly in need of food, shelter, water, medicines, and other means of sustenance.
We call on the Federal Government to assist in providing lasting solutions and guard against future breaches of all dams across the country.
“NRO heartily welcomes the wise decision by the Federal Government to set up a Special Committee to re-assess and review the integrity of Alau Dam and other dams across Nigeria and develop detailed recommendations for the overall reconstruction of the dams for future use.
He alleged that the Federal Government had claimed to have committed over N400 million without any trace of critical infrastructural repairs to support the huge expenditure.
According to Gude, experts had attested to the fact that without neglect, the Alau Dam would not have broken and caused the flooding that had claimed lives and displaced millions of Maiduguri residents.
“NRO regrets that the human tragedy as attested to by several experts could have been avoided but for the alleged neglect the Alau Dam suffered over the years.
“This was coming at a time the Federal Government had claimed to have committed over 400 million Naira without any trace of critical infrastructural repairs to support the huge expenditure,” Gude alleged.
He, however, commended Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State for reopening the IDP camps.
He also lauded the government for the establishment of the health emergency committee to address potential outbreaks of flood-related diseases.
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