The resignation of the minister of humanitarian affairs is demanded; the presidency responds.
The calls for Sadiya Umar Farouq, minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management, to quit have been deemed improper by the presidency.
Following her recent remark that Bayelsa wasn’t one of the states most impacted by flooding, the minister has been requested to quit by the Niger Delta caucus in the House of Representatives, according to PlatinumPost.
The president’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, responded to the development on Wednesday by saying that the federal government is equally concerned about the floods in Bayelsa and other states.
Calls for the resignation of the minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management, and social development, he added in a statement, “are not suitable in this context.”
“The Federal Government is worried about what has transpired in Bayelsa as it is concerning the other states, and almost every state in Nigeria has been impacted. There has been neither larger nor lesser loss of life than there has been in the other states.
“Disaster management efforts have been outpaced by the problem of providing aid to the enormous number of displaced persons in Bayelsa and other states, the restoration of their destroyed property, and farmlands that were washed away, but that is not to imply no attempts are being done.”
“The massive demand for everything from food to tents, blankets, and mosquito nets, as well as for antimalarials and other medications, clearly indicates that more resources are needed, both by disaster management agencies at the centre and by those at the state and local council levels, which are structurally the first responders.”
“The minister has been actively working to direct aid where it is most needed and close the gaps in the catastrophe responses of various state governments.”
Although Bayelsa has done admirably well, they may do much better with more government support, which is currently being sent out in batches.
“All these efforts are being made in advance of the report of the committee established by the president under the auspices of the Nigerian Governors Forum to devise solutions and then escalate their conclusions to the federal government, to alleviate the suffering of people currently being affected by floods throughout the country.”
The federal government is waiting for a reaction from the international community, according to Shehu, who also emphasized that now is the time for cooperation rather than “public criticism.”
As the nation contends with its worst flooding in decades, he added, “this is exactly as more is expected in terms of an international reaction and how much difference business and charitable contributions can make.”
“We hope that everyone, including federal agencies, state governments, and municipal governments, would pay more attention to the difficulties posed by climate change.
“Now is not the time for public criticism. It won’t do anything but impede the cooperation needed to save lives and provide emergency relief, weakening our ability to respond to the catastrophe as a community.
“As more and more resources are made available to agencies dealing, the central government will continue to do more for Bayelsa and all states so afflicted.”
