How Prof Sunday Bako Mismanaged Taraba State University – Panel Report
Major: We Got Only 20 Thousand Each, Victims Of Windstorm Damage In Ussa
Some victims of recent windstorms that wreaked havoc in the Ussa Local Government Area of Taraba State has claimed to have only received N20,000 only to rebuildand repair their houses from the state government through the Commissioner for Social Justice and Reintegration, Dr. Filister Irarimam Musa.
Speaking on behalf of the victims Mr Rimamsanati Ali said the funds released by Governor Agbu Kefas to cushion the effects of the windstorm were not properly managed in Ussa leaving some victims feeling unhappy and anguished with the process.
The victims claimed that Governor Kefas released almost a hundred million naira to cushion the effect of the rainstorm, which destroyed properties worth hundreds of millions of naira in those Takum and Ussa LGAs.
The victims further claimed that their Commissioner, Dr Filister Irarimam Musa, was given twenty million naira (N20,000,000) on April 5, 2024 to cushion the pains of those affected people of Ussa LGA, they however accused her of concealing the details of the support materials from the Ussa major stakeholders.
"This natural disaster not only brought down hundreds of houses in Takum and Ussa but also left some people dead and many others injured and displaced as a result, After the ugly situation, Governor Abgu Kefas visited Takum to commiserate with the victims and also promised to send his support to enable them to rebuild and repair their houses.
"In less than a week, the governor lived up to his promises by sending money about twenty million naira and relief materials for the victims in Takum and Ussa, in addition to relief materials from Taraba State Emergency Management Agency SEMA, was given to support the victims of Ussa LGA.
"While the support fund and relief materials given were announced to the victims of Takum LGA, the reverse was the case in Ussa LGA.
Mr Rimamsanati Ali revealed that the Commissionertook a solo decision and kept the relief materials meant for IDPs in Ussa LGA in her father's house instead of the usual Local Government Secretariat warehouse where such relief materials are kept and distributed to the public eyes.
Mr Rimamsanati Ali said the Commissioner instead of immediately heading to Ussa for the distribution of this relief fund, considering the urgency of the situation, she stayed back in Jalingo for another 4 days and ordered for a massive renovation of her Technobat residence including drilling of a borehole.
"Only two million two hundred naira (N2,200,000) were given to the victims. That is 20,000 each for 110 persons, no zinc was given like the case of Takum. She informed, in response to a question from one of the people present during the sharing of the relief materials, that by the time she went for the materials, Takum had taken the available zincs meant for the affected victims, leaving nothing for Ussa.
"To avoid any suspicion and uprising during the sharing, Dr Filister put the sum of twenty thousand naira (N20,000) in an oversized brown envelope and gave each to the 110 people to confuse those present at the event from knowing the amount involved because the victims were expecting larger sum. Most of the beneficiaries were families and cohorts of her selected boys she asked to compile the list of the victims, while most of the victims were left out from the process.
"We challenge the Honourable Commissioner to publicly publish the list of the beneficiaries if she still claimed, as Commissioner for Social Justice, to have distributed the materials justly and fairly. The real victims are feeling unhappy and anguished with the sham.
"We wish to call the attention of Governor Abgu Kefas, and the Taraba state government carry out a thorough investigation on how the distribution of the relief materials and managements of the funds were handled in Ussa . This is to ensure that justice prevailed and the victims of the rainstorm in Ussa LGA get things that were meant for them as released by the Governor," Mr Rimamsanati Ali said.
Everal efforts to reach the Commissioner, Dr. Filister Irarimam Musa proved abortive as messages sent to her line were not responded to as at time of filling this report.
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