Relief materials: Lawmakers took part in distribution - NEMA

Some members of the National Assembly fully participated in the distribution of relief materials to people in the Northeast zone carried out by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), a House of Representatives panel heard.

At the continuation of the probe of alleged breach of public trust by the House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness yesterday in Abuja, NEMA Director General Mustapha Maihaja told the lawmakers that against claims in some quarters, some lawmakers nominated persons that participated in distributing the relief items.

This was even as Gombe and Taraba states said none of their officials were present when NEMA carried out distribution of relief materials in their domains.

But a representative of Bauchi State told the panel that indeed some of the staff of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) were attached to NEMA’s team that did the distribution.

A member of the panel, Abdulrahman Shuaibu (APC, Adamawa) asked Maihaja to explain why he failed to include and carry along members of the House in the relief materials distribution, despite a directive, during a meeting, by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo when he acted as president.

Shuaibu said though NEMA wrote the lawmakers requesting for nominations of their representatives for the distribution, the agency did not include the said representatives in the end.

Responding, Maihaja said, “Some members participated in the distribution. I can remember in Potiskum, we worked with a senator. I think Hon Sidi Karasuwa participated. Senator Bukar also did.”

Asked why NEMA did not supply any relief materials to communities in Madagali and Michika in Adamawa State and Bama, Ngala and Kala-Balge in Borno State, the DG said they were under the World Food Programmes and that there was a directive for NEMA to stay away from such places.

An official from Bauchi State said NEMA officials were in Bauchi with their staff “and some of our staff witnessed the distribution. The first team that came was led by Malam Musa Zakari.”