The Federal Government has approved the release of N3billion to each state of the federation to assist them address the devastating effects of the flood.

Vice-President, Kashim Shettima announced this when he visited the Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs) camp in Gwada community in Shiroro local council of Niger State today, Friday 13th September,2024.

Shittima said the visit was at the directives of President Bola Tinubu and to reaffirm the commitment of the Federal government to the people Niger State towards addressing the devastating effects of flood and insecurity that had bedevilled the state and the country in general.

The vice-president maintained that the visit was a symbolic gesture and an assessment tour, assuring the people and the state government that the president was poised to support the state at all times.

“We are aware many lives have been lost and people have lost means of livelihoods as well as property worth millions of naira have been affected. I learnt about fourteen local government areas are affected in Niger,” he said.

“We have come on an assessment tour and we assured the government and people of Niger state that the president is posed to assist all states of the federation,” he said.

He noted that a scientific approach and assessment would be done on states like Borno, Niger, Sokoto, Delta, Jigawa, and Bayelsa with more incidents of the flood, adding that all states would be fully supported.

According to him, this is because governance is all about the people and because the President has the interest of the people at heart.

“He sleeps with Nigerians in his mind and wakes up with Nigerians in his mind, and this is an upper empty and support.

He added that the visit was alongside Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara who is also the Chairman of Governors Forum and Alhaji Mohammed Idris, Minister for Information and National Orientation.

He said that others in his entourage were the Deputy Chief of Staff and Abdullahi Sabi, Minister of state for Agriculture and Director General of NEMA to show that the President was concerned about the condition of the people.

On the recent tanker explosion that claimed the lives of 60 persons, Shettima said the President had intervened decisively in the area of infrastructure, especially on East-West and Badagri to Sokoto roads.

He disclosed that the road where the accident happened was under construction, adding that the federal government would continue to do its utmost best to address the challenges of infrastructure deficit in the country.

Earlier, the Governor of Niger State, Muhammad Umaru Bago stated that the visit was to sympathize with people affected by flood disasters and insecurity, and thanked the vice president for the visit.

The general IDP statistics in the state are 46,853 displaced persons, 5, 863 households affected, 5, 863 and 23, 450 men and women concerned with 17, 540 children also affected in flood, banditry, and communal conflict.

The items donated to the IDPs by the vice president were mattresses, rice, beans, groundnut oil, salt, soap, and blankets.