The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has begun distributing relief materials to members of the communities affected by communal conflicts in Bende and Ohafia Local Government Areas of Abia.
The relief items were handed over to the Abia State Government through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in a brief ceremony held in Umuahia on Thursday.
NEMA’s Director-General, Mrs Zubaida Umar, represented by Mr Nnamdi Igwe, Head of Operations, NEMA Owerri office, said that the gesture demonstrates the federal government’s concern for those affected by the crises.
She said that the relief materials aim to cushion the effects of the communal conflicts on the communities.
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Umar urged the communities to live together in peace, emphasising that no meaningful development can occur in an atmosphere of crisis.
The Executive Secretary of SEMA, Dr. Sunday Jackson, revealed that properties worth millions of naira were destroyed during the conflicts.
He said that Okon-aku and Umuobasi communities in Ohafia and Bende LGAs respectively were involved in the separate crises.
He said that SEMA in collaboration with NEMA activated the emergency response team and quickly visited the communities to carry out on-the-spot assessment.
Jackson commended NEMA DG for her approval of the relief items and in making sure that it got to the people within a short time.
The SEMA boss also commended the Deputy Governor, Ikechukwu Emetu for his role in making sure that the victims got intervention as well as Gov Alex Otti for providing the enabling environment.
Jackson assured that SEMA in collaboration with NEMA would monitor the distribution of the items to ensure that it got to the right persons.
Declaring the distribution open, the Deputy Governor, represented by Mr Ndubuisi Ume, his Senior Special Adviser on General Duties and Due Process, thanked the federal government for the intervention.
In a response, representative of Umuobasi community, Dr Kenneth Anyalechi, expressed gratitude to the federal and state governments for the kind gesture.
He assured that the items would be distributed equitably.
The food and non-food relief items distributed included 300 bags of 25 kilogrammes parboiled rice, 150 cartons of spaghetti and 30 cartons of vegetable oil.
Others were 30 cartons of seasoning cubes, 30 bags of iodized salt and 300 bags of 50 kilogrammes cement.
(NAN)
