Flood: Jigawa is worst hit state, says FG

Sadiya Farouq, minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development, says Jigawa is the most affected state by the flood disaster that ravaged parts of Nigeria.

Farouq spoke on Thursday at the ministerial media briefing organised by the presidential communications team held in Abuja.

Edwin Clark, leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), had earlier said that the humanitarian affairs minister was inhumane towards victims of the flood in Bayelsa and other areas in the southern region.

Clark accused the minister of not taking any measure to mitigate the effect of the disaster, adding that she was more concerned with activities of the school-feeding programme.

“We have a humanitarian minister that is not humane, who was only active to carry out school-feeding of schoolchildren who were confined to their homes during the COVID-19 lockdown,” Clark said.

“In such an urgent situation of ravaging flood, she has decided to maintain a disquieting quietness. Bodies like the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) were not able to take proactive measures.

“Where is the mother of the nation, the First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari? Her fellow women are in deep agony, seeing their children dying of starvation and treatable minor illnesses because there is no medication.”

Reacting to the claim, Farouq said her ministry had distributed relief materials to affected persons in Bayelsa through the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).

She said the flood disaster is a national issue and she was doing her best in discharging her duties.

“Merely looking at me, you know that I am humane,” she added.

TheCable had earlier reported that about 51 persons lost their lives while over 2,000 were displaced by flood in Jigawa.

So far, over 600 persons have been killed by flooding across Nigerian communities in 2022.