In a gesture of compassion, Remi Tinubu, the first lady, has made a donation of ₦250,000 to each of the 57 households affected by the devastating flooding incident at the TradeMore Estate in Lugbe, Abuja, which occurred on June 23, 2023. The donation was made through Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), a pet project aimed at improving the lives of Nigerians.
The affected families were presented with their donations during a ceremony held in the capital city on Thursday, July 13, 2023. While Tinubu was not physically present at the event, she was represented by Nana Shettima, the wife of Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who expressed deep concern about the unfortunate incident.
Shettima conveyed Tinubu’s hope that the intervention of the Renewed Hope Initiative would alleviate the hardships faced by the affected families. However, she also expressed worry that such incidents might recur due to the ongoing rainy season.
Nigeria has experienced severe flooding disasters in the past, resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives and the displacement of tens of thousands of people across the country. The government at all levels has faced criticism for inadequate preparations to mitigate the annual flooding, which has been a recurring problem for decades.
In response to these challenges, the director-general of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Ahmed, recently advised state governors to strengthen local emergency management agencies to mitigate the impact of flood disasters. He emphasized the importance of community volunteers, local emergency management committees, and state emergency agencies working in tandem with federal agencies to provide effective disaster management.
Following a meeting with the governors on Wednesday, July 12, the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) released a communique affirming its commitment to collaborating with federal agencies on a comprehensive response plan to address the issues arising from flooding incidents.
