Kogi flood victims reject N3000 compensation from state Govt

Victims of the 2012 flood disaster in Kogi have rejected the offer of N3, 000 compensation from the state government, describing the gesture as inadequate. Some of the victims told newsmen in Lokoja on Sunday that the N3, 000 offered to them by the government was far below the losses they suffered individually during the disaster. The flood, which affected nine local government areas of the state, destroyed more than 500 houses and rendered15,00 residents homeless. They alleged a lack of transparency in the sharing of the money given victims by the Federal Government, organizations and individuals. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the state government recently released N139 million to the nine affected local government areas. Reacting to the complaints, the state Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Abdulrhaman Wuya, said that the money paid to the victims should not be regarded as compensation but assistance. He said that considering the method used to allocate the N139 million to the affected areas and in the bid to spread the assistance, the amount each person would receive would be in the range of N3, 000. NAN