The President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved N108 billion to solve flooding and other natural disasters in the 36 states of the federation. This was disclosed by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima on Wednesday at the state House in Abuja.
Shettima had received the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass where he described the situation in Maiduguri as a “National calamity”. He said;
“The President has shown his zeal, willingness and commitment to partner with the states towards addressing these issues.
“Recently, he approved the release of N3 billion to each state of the federation to address some of these challenges so that all parts of the federation should have buy-in and belonging.”
While commending the speaker for his “stellar leadership in the National Assembly,” he he thanked the speaker for his efforts in ensuring harmonous relationship among the three arms of governmnet and for his support to the people of Borno.
On his part, Tajudeen commiserated with the government and people of Borno State,
assuring that the National Assembly will provide support for the affected community. He said:
“We in the National Assembly are looking all through to see what kind of support we will give to the people affected. We are very sorry, Your Excellency, for what happened. We share your pains; we share your concerns; we are together in this from the beginning to the end.
“Insha Allah, it will come to pass, and people will go back to their normal lives and businesses as if it did not happen because we and you will make sure that we provide all the palliatives for them to regain their means of livelihood. Thank you, Your Excellency; please, convey our sincere concerns to the Governor and to the people of Borno State,” he said.
While the government’s interest in addressing citizen’s concern is commendable, is this the best route to take? Is the government not releasing too many funds to tackle issues without having a longterm effect? Shouldn’t there be a needs assessment, plan map out and implementation guide before funds be approved and released?
