TheCable

Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to president on media, says the Muhammadu Buhari administration will not abandon victims of flood across the country.

Speaking at the weekend on Hannu Ya Dawa, a programme on FRCN Kaduna, Shehu said in spite of the country’s technological limitations and the paucity of funds, the government is working to alleviate the suffering of the flood victims.

The president’s spokeman also said citizens are right in demanding that ecological funds are put to judicious use.

“The Buhari administration will under no circumstance abandon its humanitarian obligations to alleviate the distress of flood victims,” he said.

“In spite of Nigeria’s technological limitations and the paucity of funds to handle or manage large scale and complex emergencies, the APC administration will leave no stone unturned in offering succour to victims of natural disasters across the country.

“The largest chunk of the fund goes to the states and local governments. Every month, states and local governments receive 1.4 percent from the federation account as ecological fund, compared to the federal government’s share of 1 percent.

“From the 1 per cent the FG gets, NEMA takes 20 percent for its operation.”

Shehu noted that the responsibility of managing natural disasters in the country is gradually being ceded to the federal government by other tiers of government, despite the funds given to them.

“Whenever there is an emergency from natural or man-made disasters, all you hear is ‘where is Buhari, what is he doing? What happens with the other tiers of government,” he asked.

“Nigerians, at the state and local governments, should demand transparency and accountability in the management of ecological funds by their governors and local government chairmen.

“Without accountability by local political leaders, the federal government would continue to be the scapegoat for the failure of states and local governments to use ecological funds for the purposes they were released.”