Shettima Visits Maiduguri, Sympathises With Flood Victims
Vice President Kashim Shettima said in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Tuesday that a comprehensive roadmap aimed at addressing perennial flood head-on has been developed by the Bola Tinubu administration.
On an on-the-spot assessment of the ravaging floods that displaced communities in the state, Shettima, who was governor of Borno State between 2011 and 2019, described the disaster as the most catastrophic flood in Maiduguri in over three decades.
According to a statement by his spokesman, Mr. Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima, the Vice President regretted that despite the implementation of comprehensive contingency plans and proactive measures adopted to mitigate potential impacts in response to the 2024 flood outlooks, the severity of the flood in Maiduguri has far exceeded the government’s estimates.
While commiserating with the victims, the Vice President said the President did not only express his “deepest sympathies but has also assured that the federal government will prioritise the welfare of the affected communities”.
The flood, which began over the weekend, has worsened. Authorities blamed it on the excess water from the Alau Dam and the collapse of the spillways which has unleashed a significant surge of water downstream, causing widespread flooding in the surrounding communities.
He regretted that, despite the implementation of comprehensive contingency plans and proactive measures adopted to mitigate potential impacts in response to the 2024 flood outlooks, the severity of the flood in Maiduguri has far exceeded the government’s estimates.
While commiserating with the victims, Shettima said the President did not only express his “deepest sympathies but has also assured that the Federal Government will prioritise the welfare of the affected communities”.
