Controversy trails disbursement of N18 billion from Maiduguri flood relief fund

Controversy has trailed the disbursement of N18.08 billion from the donations the Borno State Government received for last year’s flood disaster victims in Maiduguri, the state capital.

The disaster, which followed the collapse of the Alau Dam on 10 September, caused massive destruction in the state capital. The dam collapsed due to climate change factors and poor maintenance over the years.

Scale of damages

In addition to the bridges, schools, clinics, farmlands, and businesses destroyed by the flood, NEMA said the disaster killed 30 people and affected 400 others. However, the International Organisation for Migration, which collaborated with the Borno State Government and other development partners, put the number of victims at over 900 in its latest situation report.

The report also highlighted the victims’ immediate humanitarian needs, including food, shelter, medicine, and potable drinking water.

The Borno State Government later announced that it received N28.2 billion in donations from federal and state governments, organisations, countries, and individuals for the victims.

While submitting its report to Governor Babagana Zulum last December, the flood relief fund committee said out of the donations received, it disbursed N18.8 billion and reserved N4.45 billion for the rehabilitation of earth roads damaged by the flood.

The committee said it distributed cash and food items to 101,330 households and N987 million to 7,716 traders in the flood-affected markets.

It said 814 worship centres received N313 million, 267 private schools received N213 million, and 22 private clinics received N12.5 million. N89.4 million was also shared among 1,788 youths who volunteered during the flood.

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Still waiting

However, many of the targeted beneficiaries said they had not received the intervention, while some individuals said they were given only N100,000 cash each with food items. Others said they received only food items.

Traders at Customs Market, including drug dealers whose drugs worth over a billion naira were confiscated by NAFDAC, and Nakowa Specialist Hospital, which declared losing over a hundred million naira worth of drugs and equipment during the flood, told this reporter they were yet to receive a kobo.

Some of the victims reacted on social media and called on Governor Zulum to investigate the process and ensure transparency.

“My brother, nobody came here to tell us even ‘Well done.’ Our pharmacy store, with medicine worth millions and medical equipment, was all destroyed by the flood. We heard the government was going around to assess damages, but nobody came here,” Paul Ogbaji Ijogo, Admin/Finance Manager of Nakowa Specialist Hospital, said. “No government intervention has come to the hospital.”

“I am selling shoes. My capital was around N600,000 before the flood. But as you can see, most of the shoes here were damaged by the flood water, looking unattractive for people to buy,” Babagana Modu, a trader at Custom Market, said while calling on the government to support his business.

“We heard the government is distributing money, but we are yet to receive ours,” Mr Modu added.

After the flood, NAFDAC inspected the Gamboru Medicine Market on a tip-off that the traders were sun-drying soaked drugs. The agency confiscated the damaged drugs, worth over a billion naira.

During the inspection, the Borno State Ministry of Health pledged compensation for the dealers. However, many drug dealers who spoke to this reporter said they were yet to receive anything.

“My members cooperated with officials of NAFDAC and the Borno State Ministry of Health to rid our market of drugs contaminated by the floods. We handed over drugs worth over N1 billion. In my shop alone, the loss was more than N10 million,” the Nigerian Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers president, Borno State Chapter, Jibrin Bukar, said. “NAFDAC took an inventory of all our damaged drugs, and Professor Babagana Umara Zulum also promised to support us, but we are also yet to receive his support. We are pleading to him, as a leader who has people’s interests at heart, to remember us and come to our aid.”

Fraudulent process?

Some individuals affected by the flood allege that their details were changed by officials who captured their data.

They complained that even though the flood committee gave them intervention cards after collecting their data, including account details, they only received food but not money.

When they tried complaining to authorities, they were told their details were not on the government’s database.

“After receiving food and non-food items comprising 25kg of rice and flour, one mosquito net, a blanket, and a mat with my token, I just realised that my account details are not in Borno Social Investment Agency’s records for money disbursement,” Mohammad (second name withheld for fear of victimisation), a resident of Maisandari ward in Maiduguri, said.

He said he visited the office of the Borno State Social Investment Agency to complain.

“The man in charge collected my phone number and account details and checked some lists on his laptop, but despite showing him the committee’s intervention card given to me, he said my details were not there. He said there was a second verification by the Borno State Geographical Information Service in my area, and probably I missed it,” Mr Mohammed added.

He believed the flood committee members replaced the details of victims.

“Some of the committee members put the names of their families and girlfriends. Some of them have become rich after the assignment,” Mr Mohammed alleges.

“Publish beneficiary list”

Across social media platforms, those affected have been calling on the state government to publish the names of the relief fund beneficiaries.

The calls came after social media influencers of Governor Zulum, named Borno Community Watch, and some newspapers shared stories about the disbursement of the relief fund on their Facebook handles.

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A Facebook user, Jidda Lawan Badayi, reacted: “We demand transparency and accountability! How can 20% of the affected households in Old Maiduguri receive aid and the rest of us are left to suffer?

“We call on Borno State Government to investigate this matter and ensure that aid reaches those who truly need it.”

Another user, Borno State Material, said: “To address these issues, I kindly request the publication of a detailed beneficiary list.”

This reporter visited the Borno State Social Investment Agency on Tuesday to make an inquiry, but the officials were not around. He waited until 12 p.m., but the officials did not come.

Meanwhile, a statement purportedly released by the agency was published by the Borno Social Media Frontiers, a popular social media handler of Governor Zulum. It said some victims could not get the interventions because of the incorrect details they submitted, including bank accounts with limited capacity, incorrect account names and numbers, use of wallet accounts (OPAY, MONIEPOINT, etc.), and proxy accounts.