The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, said the President is deeply concerned and is taking decisive action to alleviate the issue of perennial flooding in Isheri, the border town between Ogun and Lagos States.
Edu reiterated this commitment yesterday while presenting relief materials mainly rice and groundnut oil to victims of the flooding incident in Isheri, Ifo Local Government Area of the state.
The minister said that the relief materials are to lessen the hardship brought about by the flood incident, which is said to have affected no less than 33,000 people.
Edu also disclosed that the Federal Government is also interested in supporting those who lost their businesses to the flood saying that the present administration is rolling out quite a number of programmes, such as conditional cash transfer, under which the beneficiaries will receive N25,000 for three months.
She said there are also grants or zero-interest loans to support the vulnerable to have means of livelihood, as well as End-Hunger, among others, saying that all of these programmes are tailored towards lifting 50 million Nigerians out of poverty within the next 42 months as directed by President Tinubu.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Community Development Association, Isheri, Mr Gbenga Osobu, disclosed that what the community actually wanted was a permanent solution to the devastating flood and not any food palliatives.
Osobu said that the community was however having a ray of hope that President Bola Tinubu will do all that is within his power to put the painful experience behind the residents and give them reason to be happy again.
The minister had earlier visited adire markets at Itoku and Asero, Abeokuta, saying that the federal and state governments will further support those producing the local fabrics to make more money from the business while also creating jobs for others.
Punch