An estimated 350 disaster victims from four communities in Delta State on Wednesday received relief materials from the state government to mitigate their suffering and improve their well-being.
The beneficiaries are victims of rainstorm and erosion menace that ravaged Ovrode and Umukwata communities in Isoko North and Ukwani Local Government Areas respectively, including other victims of fire disasters in Sapele and Oleh communities respectively.
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At the presentation of the relief materials which took place in Asaba, the Commissioner, Bureau for Special Duties, Mr. Omamofe Pirah, however, counselled the beneficiaries not to misconstrue the state government’s benevolence as compensation for their losses.
He added that the humanitarian gesture was in line with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s commitment to the welfare of Deltans and thanked the governor for equipping the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to respond efficiently to disasters in the state.
The commissioner seized the opportunity to advise Deltans on the need to observe COVID-19 pandemic safety protocols such as observing social distance, proper washing of hands and the appropriate use of facemask due to the resurgence of the pandemic.
Earlier, the Director of SEMA, Mr. Karo Ovemeso thanked Gov. Okowa for his magnanimity in approving the assistance after the agency conducted its assessments and made its recommendations. He stated that the state government cannot compensate the victims for their losses and urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of what they have received.
Meanwhile, in a bid to contain the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Delta State government has directed residents across the state to observe the COVID-19 pandemic guidelines for the good of all Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Chiedu Ebie in a statement said “based on the advice of medical experts, government had directed the general observance of a number of COVID-19 protocols and guidelines for the good of all, especially in the face of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic.”
The statement further said that the state government would continue to monitor the impact of the second wave of the pandemic through the Ministry of Health as more specific guidelines will be issued when considered necessary.
