The Minister of Defence, Muhammad Badaru, has expressed his condolences to the victims of the recent floods in Jigawa State and announced a personal donation of N20 million to them.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that on Tuesday, the death toll from flooding caused by rains reached 28 in the state.
Mr Badaru, a former governor of the state, told reporters in Jigawa that 33 people had died from the flood disaster as of Saturday.
The former governor said the disaster affected 148 communities in 14 local government areas, around 50,000 people and over 11,500 households.
Badaru said the flooding was due to seven days of continuous rains, a level never seen before in the state in August.
He said regular flooding hit the state in late September when dams overflowed.
The minister said the federal and state governments were doing everything possible to address the menace.
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“The government has done a great job to combat periodic flooding by dredging the canals.
“This particular flood was caused by excessive and uninterrupted rainfall that has caused destruction and loss of life. The Governor is capable of handling the situation with the support of the Federal Government.
“The President is aware of the situation and will support the Jigawa State Government in addressing the recurrence of the problem.
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“On the agenda of renewed hope of the Federal Government is the construction of dams which the governor is carrying out with the federal government to ensure that some of the dams are built in the state,” Badaru said.
In his remarks, Governor Umar Namadi commended the Minister for the visit, saying Mr Badaru had made sustained efforts at the federal level to help address the disaster and assist its victims.