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Egwu blames disasters on carelessness
By Jacob Mbam
Special
Correspondent,
Abakaliki
Carelessness and neglect of the people have been listed as
the major causes of incessant clashes, fire outbreaks, collapsed buildings
and other available disasters in Ebonyi State.
Governor Sam Egwu said there was the need for the people to
be more conscious of their environment and always be alert to possibility of
danger in all that they do.
The governor spoke at the presentation of relief materials
to victims of various natural disasters by officials of the National Emergency
Management Agency (NEMA) in Abakaliki.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government,
Professor Ozo Nweke Ozo, he called on the people to take measures to reduce the
occurrences of disasters, stressing that if they manage their environment very
well, it would be safe for them to live in.
He praised the agency for always coming to their aid when
the need arose, assuring that the distribution of the materials would be based
on fairness.
The governor called on the National Assembly to re-visit the
recent Supreme Court ruling that annulled the financial linkage between NEMA
and the National Ecological Fund from which NEMA lost 20 per cent of its
funding.
He said this has affected the monthly ecological funds
allocation to states and NEMA’s service delivery in general and
promptness in responding to emergencies.
NEMA’s Assistant-Director, Relief and Rehabilitation,
Dr. Ojo Olusegun Ojo said the items were to assist in alleviating the suffering
of disaster victims in the state.
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