The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on Thursday donated relief materials to the Ogun Government for onward distribution to victims of natural disasters in the state.
The Director-General (DG) of NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside, stated at the presentation ceremony in Abeokuta, that the gesture was to complement efforts of the federal and the state governments in providing succour for victims of flood, fire and other natural disasters.
“This is why the agency is reaching out to at least 20 states across all the geo-political zones of the country to provide relief materials that would complement the efforts of the federal and state governments,” he said.
The relief materials include consumables and different types of equipment to assist the victims in getting back to their businesses.
Peterside, who was represented by the Director, Western Zonal office of the agency, Mr Olayemi Abass, said that the agency was committed to collaborating with the Ogun Government in restoring the victims to their pre-loss positions.
“Disasters can affect lives and properties and the effects can be devastating especially when you consider the fact that natural disasters cannot be planned for.
“NIMASA has therefore, decided to go round the country to reach out to as many lives that are affected as possible.
“We are also looking at working on need assessment of the affected states so that we can provide materials that will help them back to their normal lives,” he said.
Peterside explained that the closeness of Ogun to Lagos States where Nigeria’s major ports were domiciled had made Ogun important to the country.
He emphasised the pivotal role of Ogun in easing out congestions in the processes of evacuation of goods from the Lagos ports.
While receiving the items on behalf of the state government, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Mrs Yetunde Dina, commended NIMASA for reaching out to the state.
Dina, who gave assurance that the materials would be distributed judiciously, noted that “Ogun is one of the worst hit when it comes to flooding.” ====NAN
