The federal government has announced plans to provide N3 billion in assistance to all states in an effort to ameliorate the effects of the recent flood calamity.
Mr. Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, made the remark while dealing with journalists at the Government House in Birnin Kebbi on Sunday after viewing flood-affected districts in Kebbi.
Edun stated, “I would like to announce that the National Economic Council has proactively decided to allocate N3 billion to support all states across the federation and the FCT in mitigating the effects of flooding this year.”
“That will put many states like Kebbi in a good position to be able to prepare their farmers to the all-important dry season farming, which we anticipate will be successful, well planned and well implemented.”
He stated that this plan would succeed by ensuring food availability at reasonable costs, lowering inflation, and further stabilizing the economy. He expressed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to supporting the state’s efforts to maintain security, strengthen resilience, and increase productivity, ultimately cementing its status as Nigeria’s food basket.
Sen. Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and National Planning, also spoke, expressing alarm that the flooding had caused more damage to several local governments than he had seen during a recent visit.
He did, however, laud the people of Kebbi for their resilience and commitment, promising that they would be mobilized to achieve better outcomes during the following dry season farming.
The minister also mentioned that, in addition to the N3 billion support, the federal government had approved a Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund, which would be used to finance, among other projects, the Badagry-Sokoto road.
Kebbi state’s appeal for support
Governor Nasir Idris appealed to the federal government for assistance, highlighting that many rice farmlands in the state had been submerged by flooding.
He mentioned that officials had visited Wacot Rice Mill and Matan Fada in Argungu, witnessing firsthand the impact of the flood on rice farmlands. He emphasized that Kebbi, as the leading rice-farming state in the country, plays a crucial role in national agriculture.
Backstory
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) last week reported that around 16,000 hectares of farmlands in 27 states have been destroyed by recent floodings in the country. Most of the states affected are around the food belt of the nation—the North central and Northwest regions of the country.
Furthermore, the Minister of state for Agriculture, Sen. Abdullahi Sabi, also stated that about 51% of farming areas in the country stand at risk of being flooded this year, a major blow to efforts at boosting food production in the country.
