President Muhammadu Buhari has authorized the dispatch of special teams to deliver urgently needed assistance to 12 states most ravaged by the seasonal rains.
In a statement signed by his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, the President gave the authorization on Saturday after taking stock of the flood situation in the country.
The states to receive the teams conveying reinforcement of reliefs and other equipment through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) are: Kogi, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Edo, Anambra, Delta, Kano, Jigawa, Rivers, Bayelsa and Adamawa.
According to the statement, some of the states that have been reached with the first wave of support from the Presidency are: Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Sokoto, Jigawa and Kaduna.
President Buhari expressed the nation’s sympathy to the victims of the floods, many of whom had lost family members, homes and valued investments in agricultural crops and livestock.
The President underscored the need for additional coordination between the federal and state government agencies dealing with the issues, and for improved forecast and warning systems to avert similar calamities.
