Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has announced that the reconstruction of key roads and bridges linking Mokwa town to Raba and neighbouring communities will cost N7 billion. He confirmed that the contract for the project has already been awarded.
The announcement came during the governor’s visit to Mokwa, where recent flooding claimed several lives and displaced many residents.
Governor Bago also pledged a relief package of N1 billion to support victims while permanent resettlement efforts are underway. Additionally, he said the state government would distribute 10 truckloads each of rice, beans, maize, millet, and sorghum to the affected families.
To speed up the resettlement process, Bago directed the Ministry for Land and Survey to issue a certificate of occupancy to the federal government to begin immediate construction of new homes for displaced residents.
He assured the public that temporary shelters will not be a long-term solution, adding that the state is working with the federal government and partners to relocate the victims as quickly as possible.
The governor thanked the federal government, aid partners, and individuals who have extended support, and offered prayers for those who lost their lives in the disaster.
Also speaking during the visit, Hussaini Ibrahim, the Acting Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), gave a harrowing account of the flood’s impact:
206 lives were lost, including men, women, and children; 82 others sustained injuries, many of them severe; 458 homes were completely destroyed; 180 hectares of farmland were submerged; 3,534 people were displaced, now living in makeshift shelters; And 9,560 people remain in urgent need of humanitarian aid, including food, clean water, shelter, and medical care.
“The scale of destruction is heartbreaking,” Hussaini said. “Entire families have been uprooted, livelihoods destroyed, and communities broken.”
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