Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta has named retired Supreme Court Judge, Justice Francis Tabai, as the Chairman of the committee to manage the N500 million flood disaster grants allocated to the state by the Federal Government.
Announcing this at an interactive session with newsmen in Asaba, Uduaghan said that Tabai was selected because of his decision to have someone outside the government as chairman of the committee.
He said that the committee, which includes representatives of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and the NUJ, would also manage funds from other sources.
“The committee will appraise the flood situation in the state and advise the government on how to channel the fund.
“It will also work out ways of resettling the flood victims post-camp and provide the government a detailed post-camp plan.”
He said the full membership of the committee would be announced before the end of the week.
He debunked as “reckless” rumour making the rounds in the state that women were being raped and items stolen by thieves in the camps, especially the one in Ughelli.
The governor said that adequate security had been provided at the camps and stressed that no case of rape or other vices had been reported from any camp in the state.
He, therefore, appealed to the media and the public not to politicise the flood issue or be mischievous about it, adding: “what we have on our hand is a serious problem.
“People sacked from homes and communities where they had lived all their lives and people having their means of livelihood wiped out with some losing dear ones in the process is just not an issue of politics or mischief.”
He disclosed that seven persons had been officially reported dead in the flood disaster in the state.
According to him, the deceased included a community leader, a 23-year-old mother of three, and an eight-year-old girl.
