The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has distributed 18,653 bags of 10kg rice, donated by the Bank of Industry (BOI), and 50 tons of humanitarian aid from the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to 16 beneficiary states in Nigeria. The official handover took place on October 3, 2024, in Abuja, with NEMA Director General Mrs. Zubaida Umar leading the event.
The rice allocation per state was as follows: Katsina (3,850 bags), Zamfara (3,634 bags), Imo (3,500 bags), Benue (3,000 bags), Jigawa (3,000 bags), and Plateau (1,669 bags). Of the total rice donation, 10,484 bags will be collected from NEMA’s Kano warehouse, while 8,169 bags will be distributed from Abuja.
The UAE’s contribution, consisting of 1,696 cartons of food baskets, each containing 20 assorted food items, was also shared across the states. Beneficiaries included Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Enugu, Kano, Ondo, Rivers, Sokoto (160 cartons each), and Borno (256 cartons).
Mrs. Umar explained that the selection of states was based on the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the extent of disaster-related needs. She thanked the BOI and the UAE government for their generous support, highlighting the importance of international partnerships in disaster management. She also addressed the impact of this year’s floods, which affected over one million people, displaced more than 600,000, and resulted in 280 deaths across 180 local government areas.
The event was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the National Security Adviser, and officials from all beneficiary states. NEMA’s Director of Relief and Rehabilitation, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu Usur, reiterated the agency’s commitment to transparency and accountability in delivering aid to those in need.
