PANDEF asks humanitarian minister to resign, says data used for flood ranking ‘ridiculous’

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) says Sadiya Umar Farouq, minister of humanitarian affairs, is unfit for office and should resign immediately.

The development comes after the minister said Jigawa is the state worst hit by flooding.

PANDEF, in a statement on Friday by Ken Robinson, national publicity secretary of the forum, said the parameters used by the minister to arrive at her conclusions in the ranking are “morbid and ridiculous”.

“Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, has berated the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, for her recent cynical comments on the 2022 flood situation in the country,” the statement reads.

“The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs was ignorant enough to announce, during the recent weekly Ministerial Briefing on Thursday, that Jigawa State is ranked as the most affected State in the country and that Bayelsa State is not even among the ten (10) worst affected states.

“This is a brazen assault on the sensibilities of Nigerians and an attack on logic. It is indeed provocative.

“The parameters adduced by the Minister in arriving at her reckless conclusions are morbid and ridiculous; it is this kind of ‘upside-down’ thinking that has pummelled Nigeria to its present dire state.

“PANDEF notes that the Minister had earlier claimed that only four Local Government Areas of Bayelsa state were impacted by the unprecedented flood.

“The crass irrationality displayed by Sadiya Umar Farouq makes her unfit for the office of Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. She should, therefore, resign immediately or be sacked.

“How can a state up North, like Jigawa, be worst impacted when indeed Bayelsa State has the unfortunate responsibility of receiving the flood water that ran through more than 15 states? As it has been rightly queried.

“As a matter of fact, in a State such as Bayelsa, almost every part was reportedly submerged and people in most communities were helplessly displaced.

“For a period now going on to one month, entire communities are underwater, tens of people dead, millions of people displaced and unquantifiable levels of farmlands, fish farms and properties destroyed, and schools have closed.”

The forum also said the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari, the vice-president, or senate president to visit victims of flooding in the Niger Delta indicates that the present administration holds no regard for the people of the area.

“What is most shocking is that despite the great publicity on the destruction caused by the floods, our President, the ‘Father’ of the Nation, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, has refused to visit the affected states in the country, and it would appear, has no interest at all to do so, to show empathy, and give succour and moral boosting to our people,” Robinson said.

“Sadly, neither the Vice President nor the Senate President, Speaker, House of Representatives or Secretary to the Government of the Federation has found it necessary to even make a casual visit.

“Worse even, the Minister of Water Resources or the ‘almighty’ and untouchable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development or their colleague, the Minister of Environment, whose ministries have direct relevance to the situation, have not thought it fit to visit the affected communities in the Niger Delta. This is shocking and nearly unbelievable.

“Given the apparent abandonment by the Federal Government and its agencies, PANDEF profoundly unduly commends the Government and people of Bayelsa State, and communities in Delta, Rivers and other States of the Niger Delta affected by the floods, for their resilience.

“The Niger Delta region continues to be the goose that lays the golden egg, including providing the funds that enable the President to travel around the world and other top officials of the Federal Government in Abuja, including the Minister of the so-called ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, in running their exaggerated programmes. Yet, we are being neglected.

“A humongous sum of money has been, reportedly, approved to fix sections of the East-West Road that were severed by the floods. We hope that there will be value for money this time.

“Conclusively, the assertions by Sadiya Umar Farouq further reflect the uncouth arrogance and callous disregard being accorded to issues about the Niger Delta region and its people, by the federal government.”