We’re Running Our Operations On Credit, Jigawa SEMA Cries Out As Flooding Kills 56

By Mohammed Abubakar, Dutse

As the flooding continues unabated n Jigawa state, the State Emergency Management Agency, (SEMA) has warned that paucity of funds might hamper it’s operation.

The Executive Secretary of the agency, Yusuf Sani Babura, who raised the alarm in a chat in Dutse, confirmed that almost 60 deaths have been recorded as a result of the flooding.

According to him, “As of last week 50 died, so, six people also lost their lives this week making a total of 56 people that have so far died.”

The SEMA boss confirmed that the agency was for now running all it’s operations on credit, said “this is an emergency we can not wait for long processes before we reach victims of disaster”.

He however, maintained that all the actions and financial commitment that the agency is doing is on credit, “the state government is yet to release any Kobo.”

But he expressed confidence that the state government would do the needful when the time is ripe, adding, “We have no doubts the government will settle it when we make the submission”.

Babura, who made a veiled reference to the recent boat mishap in Miga local government, however said, his office was yet to receive the official on the issue.

His words, “I also heard that a local canoe capsized and four people died, thought this is yet to receive the report officially”.

According to him, the agency had so far opened 16 Internally Displaced Person (IDPs) camps across the state with thousands people.

,”As you can see every heavy rain is falling and the disaster is increasing.”

He explained that the agency has established 11 IDPs camps in Jigawa northeast (Hadejia) two in Miga, two in Dutse and one in Birnin Kudu local government areas (Jigawa Southwest).