Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima has directed the Management of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to mobilize and provide adequate support to the victims of the unfortunate drone attack on Tudun Biri community of Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
He gave the directive in Kaduna on Thursday, when he paid a scheduled visit to the State, to commiserate with the government and people of Kaduna State over the terrible incident.
VP Shettima, who was visibly touched by what he saw at the hospital, directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to ensure that the victims get adequate relief materials.
He announced that the Nigerian government intends to give a facelift to the Tudun Biri community, which lacks basic amenities like schools and hospitals.
VP Shettima said the government, under President Bola Tinubu, would soon launch its Pullako Initiative, aimed at improving the lives of rural dwellers as well as revive communities affected by insecurity.
He said “the President approved the commencement of the Pullako Initiative by next month. The Pullako Initiative is the President’s unique response as a non-kinetic approach to the challenges in the North West.
“The benefiting States are Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and for the purpose of equity and justice, we deliberately included Niger and Benue States.
“Actually, our intent was to kick off the programme in Sokoto, but in the light of recent development, the President directed that the Pullako Initiative should be kick-started here in Kaduna State and Tudun Biri will be the first beneficiary of that scheme. We are going to build houses that will complement the efforts of the Honorable Speaker.
“But ours is a complete package as well, including houses, clinics, schools, veterinary clinics, empowerment initiatives and solar energy. It is a complete package of solutions as a non-kinetic response to the problems of banditry and kidnapping in the North West.”
The Vice President thanked religious leaders and elders of the community for not yielding to what he described as a plot to politicize the incident in an attempt to inflame passions.
“I want to register our profound gratitude to our religious leaders, to our community leaders, who have served as stabilizing forces in this trying moment. Efforts were made to politicize, to inflame passions, but our leaders chose to err on the part of decency, on the part of moderation, on the part of maturity, and I cannot but thank you most profoundly,” he said.
Hospital Visit
Earlier at the hospital, the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Shuaibu Musa told Vice President Shettima that the hospital received 71 victims with different degrees of injuries.
He said some of the casualties have been referred to 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna.
The Vice President, in the company of Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; the State Governor, Uba Sani; APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje; Minister of Defence, Ibrahim Badaru and other senior government officials, moved from bed to bed consoling victims of the attack, while receiving briefings on the health condition of each of the patients on their hospital bed.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital Media and Emergency Ahmed Ningi, disclosed to Voice of Nigeria, that relief materials earmarked for delivery to survivors of the unfortunate drone misfire include food items like 500 (10 kilogram) bags each, of maize, rice and beans, vegetable oil, salt and seasoning.
“The list also includes clothing materials like 500 pieces of men’s wear, 500 pieces of women’s wear, 500 pieces of children’s wear and blankets among others,” he said.