Victims of last year’s flood disaster in Jigawa State have accused members of the state’s Flood Resettlement Committee of negligence in providing them with adequate shelter, food and water, as promised, despite raking in N1.7 billion during the launch of flood appeal fund meant to alleviate their plight.
   
Spokesperson for the victims, Abdul Usman Karnaya, who disclosed this in Dutse, said they only heard about disbursement of the funds from the radio without  seeing anything.
 
He said: “We only heard from Freedom Radio station that the committee is disbursing money ranging from N1 million to N3 million with some roofing sheets and cement to few affected  communities with far less damages than ours.
 
“We have waited for succour from the committee to no avail, from the inception of the flood late last year, up to this moment.
 
“We have been left without shelter as we are scattered to various places in search of food and left in fear of this year’s rainy season.”Karnaya said they lost their houses, foodstuffs, livestock among others during the flood, which ravaged  Karnaya settlement at the outskirt of Metropolitan Dutse.
   
According to him, “We have severally informed both the Flood Resettlement Committee and the State’s Relief Management Agency of our plights and demanded for assistance during their visitations, but to no avail.”
   
Karnaya said apart from United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the late Emir of Dutse, His Royal Highness (HRH), Alhaji Nuhu Muhammad Sunusi, who assisted them with large consignment’s of foodstuffs, Gerawa Global Construction Firm, among other good Samaritans, no other person has come to their aid, in terms of provision of food, shelter, clothes, and water, including Jigawa State government.
   
According to him, “UNICEF erected emergency VIP toilets, sank boreholes in Karnaya Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP’s) camp, and provide medication, while other good Samaritans assisted  us with food stuffs, clothes among  others, but we are yet to receive tangible support from the State’s Flood Disaster Committee, as it pledged.”
   
Recall that Karnaya town was the first community settlement that was last year submerged by flood among the 16 Local Councils in Jigawa State.
Reports indicated that no fewer than 47,450 people were displaced, while 98 lives were lost to flood last year.
   
In his short remarks during the launching of the State’s Flood Appeal Fund, the Chairman, Bashir Dalhatu, said they are taking inventory towards supporting the affected victims with good shelter, food, among other basic needs in resettling the victims in a more conducive environment; the pledge that was yet to be redeemed.

He called on both state and federal governments, philanthropists as well Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to come to the aid of Jigawa flood victims, as the situation was alarming last year. At press time, Dalhatu was yet to respond to inquiries sent to him.