By Salau Ibrahim
Barely three weeks after a devastating flash flood struck Owara community in Lokoja Local Government Area, the Kogi State Government has delivered relief materials to victims in fulfillment of its promise.
Under the leadership of His Excellency, Governor Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, the state government provided essential relief items including bags of rice, semovita, mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, and medical supplies to alleviate the suffering of the affected residents.
The distribution exercise took place at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp located at UBE JSS, Owara, and was led by the Executive Secretary of Kogi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Alhaji Mouktar Atimah.
Alhaji Mouktar Atimah, while distributing the items, commended the Governor’s swift response and reassured the beneficiaries of the government’s continued commitment to their welfare.
Mouktar Atimah also announced that the Governor had directed the evacuation of people from flood-prone areas to safer inland zones, saying as part of this initiative, other communities such as Budon and Kankanda would also benefit from government’s support.
In her speech, the Vice Chairperson of Lokoja Local Government Area and Chairperson of the Local Government Emergency Management Committee (LEMC), Hon. Patricia Balogun, expressed gratitude to the state government for its prompt action.
She described the gesture as heartwarming and also pledged total support for Governor Ododo’s re-election in 2027.
Also speaking, the traditional ruler of the area, the Obaro of Omuwa, Alhaji Sheidu Adoga Aliyu, appreciated the government’s intervention and pledged the community’s continued support for government policies and programmes.
He highlighted that Owara is a predominantly farming community and also thanked the government for supporting local agriculture which he noted, was capable of enhancing the socio-economic activities of the people.
A Community leader, Mallam Hamza Yakubu and some beneficiaries, Mr. Shaibu Kashim and Mrs. Amina Lawal expressed deep appreciation for the government’s swift intervention, promising to support the administration in any way they can.
Additionally, in order to add more value to the event, the Kogi State Ministry of Health offered free medical services to residents in a bid to addressing potential health challenges in the wake of the flood.
Present at the distribution were some Lokoja local government officials, Special Advisers to the Governor on emergency-related matters, including Dr. Musa Sandra (SA on SEMA), Hon. Shaibu Muhammed (SA on Emergency), Hon. Jibrin Ibrahim (SA on IDP Camps), as well as security agencies and SEMA staff.
Salau Ibrahim
Information Officer, SEMA
