The Kano State Emergency Management Agency has dismissed allegations by former Deputy Governor Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo over the handling of relief for flood victims, saying payments to more than 57,000 beneficiaries will commence soon.
The Executive Secretary of KASEMA, Abdullahi Isyaku Kubarachi, disclosed this on Tuesday at a press conference in Kano.
Kubarachi said the agency had completed the assessment of flood victims across the state and opened bank accounts for beneficiaries to facilitate direct payment of the relief funds.
He explained that although 28 local government areas initially reported flood disasters, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf directed that assessments be conducted across all 44 local government areas to ensure that no deserving victim was excluded.
According to him, the assessment process involved the notification of KASEMA by affected local government councils, followed by verification and documentation of victims by trained officers and partner organisations.
The data collected, he said, was submitted to the governor for approval of appropriate interventions.
Kubarachi attributed the delay in the disbursement of the funds to the scale of the exercise and the need to ensure accurate data, adding that all arrangements for the payments had now been concluded.
He said the delay was also partly due to the governor’s official engagements outside the state, insisting that it was not caused by negligence or lack of commitment.
Responding to Gwarzo’s criticism of KASEMA’s operations, the executive secretary said it was surprising that the former deputy governor questioned the agency’s procedures despite being familiar with them while in office.
Kubarachi alleged that Gwarzo had previously delayed the distribution of relief materials to fire victims in his local government area for over seven months after being asked to preside over the exercise.
He also alleged that Gwarzo, while serving as Commissioner for Local Government, delayed the process of establishing the State Emergency Management Agency for about eight months over disagreements on its funding structure.
The KASEMA boss described disaster management as a humanitarian responsibility and urged residents to avoid spreading rumours and unverified information on issues affecting the welfare of citizens.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to transparency, fairness and integrity in the discharge of its responsibilities.
