NEMA receives humanitarian aid from BOI, UAE
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Bank of Industry and the government of the United Arab Emirates have donated 18,653 bags of 10kg of rice and 50 tons of humanitarian relief aid respectively to the National Emergency Management Agency.
NEMA confirmed the generosity while distributing the material to the beneficiaries across Nigeria.
A statement by NEMA on Monday noted that the Director General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar handed over the items to the beneficiaries in Abuja on Thursday, October 3, 2024.
According to the statement, 3,850 bags of rice were distributed in Katina, 3,634 bags were distributed to Zamfara, while Imo got 3,500 bags, Benue got 3,000 bags, Jigawa received 3,000 bags and Plateau got 1,669 bags of rice.
The statement reads partly, “The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has officially distributed 18,653 bags of 10kg rice, donated by the Bank of Industry (BOI), and 50 tons of humanitarian relief aid from the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to various beneficiary states across Nigeria.
“The Director General NEMA Mrs Zubaida Umar handover the items to the beneficiaries in Abuja on Thursday, 3rd October 2024.
The rice donation was broken down as follows: Katsina, 3,850 bags; Zamfara, 3,634 bags; Imo, 3,500 bags; Benue, 3,000 bags; Jigawa, 3,000 bags; and Plateau, 1,669 bags
“Of the total rice allocation, 10,484 bags will be collected from the Kano warehouse, while 8,169 bags will be picked up from Abuja.”
The UAE’s 50-ton donation according to the statement consists of 1,696 cartons, each containing 20 assorted food items, forming a complete food basket, and Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Enugu, Kano, Ondo, Rivers, and Sokoto States received 160 cartons each while Borno State received 256 cartons of UAE food baskets.
“The distribution of the UAE food baskets was as follows: Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Enugu, Kano, Ondo, Rivers, and Sokoto states: 160 cartons each and Borno states: 256 cartons.
“The DG NEMA explained that the selection of beneficiary states was based on the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the severity of their needs due to disasters. In total, the aid was shared among 16 states.
“She praised the BOI and the UAE government for their generous contributions, highlighting that these donations reflect deep sympathy for those affected by disasters and symbolise the strong bilateral ties between Nigeria and the UAE. She also underscored the importance of collaborative, multi-stakeholder efforts in disaster management.
“She disclosed that this year’s floods had affected over one million people across 180 local government areas, displaced more than 600,000 individuals, and resulted in 280 deaths. The NEMA boss urged state and local governments to take proactive measures to mitigate disaster impacts.”
In his remark, the Director of Relief and Rehabilitation, Abdullahi Usur, underscored that the public presentation of the relief items is in line with NEMA’s commitment to transparency and accountability in its operations.
He further stressed that the agency has always prioritized accountability in executing its responsibilities.
In attendance at the event were representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the National Security Adviser, and officials from all beneficiary states.
