Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa
The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), on Tuesday, donated a truckload of relief items comprising food and non-food items to flood victims in Bayelsa State.
The Interim Administrator of PAP, Mag-Gen Barry Ndiomu (retd) said that Amnesty Office was concerned about the adverse impact of the floods on the Niger Delta region, hence its intervention.
Ndiomu, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Mr Freston Akpor, stated that PAP undertook a needs assessment of the victims with Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency before procuring the items.
Akpor added that the Amnesty Office would give further assistance in subsequent phases of its intervention to assist the Bayelsa government to manage the humanitarian crisis occasioned by the floods.
Items donated include bags of rice, beans, garri, pepper, noodles, mosquito nets, disinfectants, and drinking water.
Receiving the items on behalf of Bayelsa State government, Mr Wallaman Igrubia, Chairman, Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency applauded the Amnesty Office for its kind disposition to victims of the natural disaster.
He noted that the scale of the disaster was beyond the capacity of the state government and appealed for more assistance from the federal government, corporate organisations and philanthropic organisations.
Gov Douye Diri of Bayelsa had said that nearly one million residents were displaced by the flood disaster and declared a two-week break for civil servants to enable them to grapple with the adverse impact of the flood.