The Ebonyi State Government has commenced the distribution of N500,000 cash relief and two bags of rice each to 100 victims of windstorm and flood disasters from Ndeze Inyimagu, Abakaliki Local Government Area, in a bid to cushion the impact of the May 27, 2025 tragedy.
Governor Francis Nwifuru, represented by the Commissioner for Human Capital Development and Monitoring, Mrs. Ann Aligwe, flagged off the exercise on Tuesday in Abakaliki.
Addressing the beneficiaries, Aligwe said the gesture reflected the governor’s “Peoples Charter of Needs” commitment to ensuring the welfare of every Ebonyi family.
She recalled that following the May disaster, state officials, in collaboration with the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), carried out impact assessments and assured victims of prompt intervention.
“Many thought it was a political promise, but today you have seen that His Excellency is a talk-and-do governor.
"This government is passionate and welfaristic. These funds and food items are meant to cushion your losses, and we expect you to use them wisely,” she said.
The commissioner also led participants in a minute’s silence in memory of Mrs. Theresa Nwaji, who died during the Ndeze Inyimagu windstorm, and eight persons recently killed by flooding in Afikpo.
She urged residents in disaster-prone areas, especially riverbanks and lowlands, to relocate to safer grounds in line with early warnings from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).
Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr. Henry Nworie, reaffirmed government’s readiness to respond swiftly to disaster emergencies.
Beneficiaries, including Stephen Nwoji Uguru, Andaline Edeh, James Ominyi, among others expressed gratitude to the state government, NEMA, and EBSMA for the intervention, while appealing for more long-term measures to rebuild their livelihoods.
