The first lady, Remi Tinubu, has donated ₦250,000 to each household affected by the June 23, 2023 flooding incident at the TradeMore Estate in Lugbe, Abuja.
The donation was processed through the former senator’s Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), a pet project she’s promised to use to better the lives of Nigerians.
57 affected families received their donations at a ceremony in the capital city on Thursday, July 13, 2023.
Tinubu was absent at the ceremony but was represented by Nana Shettima, the wife of Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who lamented about the unfortunate incident.
She expressed hope the initiative’s intervention would help reduce the pains of the families, but also showed concern the incident may recur due to the rainfall season.
Nigeria suffered one of its worst-ever flooding disasters last year with more than 500 people dead and tens of thousands displaced all over the country.
The government at all levels regularly face harsh criticism for not preparing adequately for what has become an annual problem for the country, stretching back decades.
This week, the director general of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Ahmed, advised state governors to strengthen local emergency management agencies to mitigate the damage of flood disasters.
“Disaster is local, they should have community volunteers, local emergency management committee and state emergency agencies so that as they come from bottoms up, we will come from top to bottom, so we can meet halfway,” he said after a meeting with the governors on Wednesday, July 12.
The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) also published a communique after the meeting to declare its resolve to collaborate with federal agencies on a comprehensive response plan.
