2 months ago
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The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, rejected a proposal of a total sum of N300bn from the coffers of the Federal Government to aid the humanitarian crisis in Borno State following the flooding that swept through Maiduguri, the state capital.
The PUNCH reported that the heavy flooding that followed the collapse of the Alau Dam led to the death of over 30 persons even as the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar El-Kanemi, the Maiduguri Correctional Centre, among other public institutions were severely damaged.
Moving a motion of urgent public importance on the floor of the House during Wednesday’s plenary, the lawmaker representing Jaba/Zangon/Kataf Federal Constituency, Amos Magaji, lamented the impact of the flooding, noting that houses, markets and many health facilities were affected.
Drawing the attention of the House to the impact the flood left on the Maiduguri University Teaching Hospital, Magaji noted that the tertiary health institution was no longer accessible for use by the public.
He said, “The renowned Cancer Centre in the facility, which is lauded as one of the largest in the country, was submerged in the flood, thereby damaging all high-end equipment in the centre, while wards at the lower level of the facilities were also severely flooded, including all medical records, administrative records, files, amongst many other things destroyed.
“The electricity power supply in the facility has devastatingly collapsed, largely due to precautions taken to avoid electrocution, as transformers and other power sources in the facility were also submerged in the flood.”
He argued that if no urgent intervention was made to address the devastation of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, “the people of Borno State are at great risk of succumbing to any disease outbreak resulting from the flooding.”
Contributing to the motion, the lawmaker representing Yamaltu Deba Federal Constituency, Gombe State, Inuwa Garba, proposed an amendment to urge the Federal Government to give victims of the flood a special grant of N300bn to cushion the effect of the humanitarian disaster.
“While individuals can continue to come up with their donations, the Federal Government should give the victims of the Maiduguri flood a special grant of about N300bn,” Inuwa said.
But when the amendment was put into voice vote by Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas who presided over the plenary, lawmakers voted against it and the House, thereafter, urged the Federal Government to provide support for the victims as much as it could without proposing a specific amount.
The House, in rejecting Inuwa’s amendment, argued that government agencies as well as well-meaning Nigerians were already doing a lot, having made donations running into billions of naira, among other interventions.
The PUNCH reports that the Borno State government had received at least N17bn in monetary donations and pledges, including from the Federal Government, which gave the state N3bn.
Following the adoption of the motion, the House urged the Federal Government to address the needs of the Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, renovate the Shehu of Borno Palace, the Maiduguri Correctional Centre and other health facilities affected by the flood.
It mandated its committees on Health Institutions, Power, Renewable Energy, Insurance and Actuaries Matters, and Legislative Compliance to ensure strict compliance.
