The President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has promised that his administration would ameliorate the impact of the flooding across the country.
Jonathan spoke on Thursday at the inauguration of the committee he set up to cushion the effect of the flooding, which has ravaged not less than 15 states.
Jonathan charged the team, headed by Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, to do everything possible to rehabilitate those affected.
Jonathan said: “Let me also use this opportunity to assure Nigerians again that the present administration will do everything possible to ameliorate the impact of this devastating flood on our people.
“We will do everything to cushion their pain and we have put up a strong team made up of credible men and women who will also help government to achieve this.”
The President also commiserated with those affected by the flooding.
He said the development was a sad one, adding: “Let me again emphasise and express my empathy with victims of flood across our country.
“We as a Government feel terribly worried.
“We feel sad that this ravaging flood is really affecting so many of our people….
“This is why in addition to measures we have taken in terms of releasing funds to government agencies and directly to state governments to assist in helping to manage this disaster, we feel compel to set up this committee to generate funds to assist government in managing these people.
“The committee’s key responsibility is one, to have an overview of the degree of impact of the floods….
“Then especially to raise funds to compliment or augment Federal Government’s effort to cushion the immediate effect if flooding and the resettlement and recovery of affected persons.”
Speaking, Dangote said: “Government is doing their own but we as a private sector, we are very serious because we are donating our money out of our own goodwill and I believe Nigerians know that with the calibre of people that we have in the committee, these are people that have actually benefited from Nigeria, without Nigeria we wouldn’t have been where we are today.
“So we are ready to come out and assist and so if anybody donates his money, he wants to be reassured that his money will be judiciously spent, the people who are affected will get what they deserve.”
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