The All Progressives (APC) Professionals Forum has called on relevant authorities to swiftly respond to the plight of the victims of the recent flood in Borno.
Dr Isa Yuguda, Chairman of the forum’s Board of Trustees (BoT), made the call in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja while sympathising with victims of the flood.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the flood was caused by the overflowing of Alau Dam, located on the outskirts of Maiduguri.
Yuguda, while reacting to the development, noted that the flood had wreaked havoc on several communities and destroyed properties in the state, saying the forum’s prayers and thoughts were with its victims.
He said the forum was particularly concerned that the palace of the Shehu of Borno, His Royal Highness Alhaji Garbai El-Kanemi, was one of the worst affected.
He noted that also affected were the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and Sanda Kyarimi Park Zoo amongst several other public infrastructure which were submerged by the flood.
“Having seen pictures and videos of the incident that has affected about half of the city of over five million people, we call on federal authorities to do whatever is necessary to come to the aid of the people who are said to be in serious distress and pain,” Yuguda said.
He, however, commended President Bola Tinubu for swiftly giving a marching order to the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) to take decisive action to assist the flood victims.
He also commended Tinubu for sending Vice-President Kashim Shettima for an on-the-spot assessment of the affected areas.
“All of us in the forum stand with the people of Borno in prayers to Allah to ease the challenges the victims are facing,” he said.
He urged residents of cities across the country where weather forecasters had predicted upcoming floods to be wary and take necessary precautions to avoid flood in such cities.(NAN)