Members of the Kebbi State caucus in the House of Representatives have lamented the loss of property and farmlands worth over N10bn to flood in the state.
The lawmakers, at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, lamented that the flood submerged houses, schools and rice farms across the state.
The Chairman of the caucus, Muhammad Jega, while commiserating with the government and the people of Kebbi State over the disaster, said it flood had ravaged the entire state, being the main host of the Federal Government’s rice production policy.
He noted that Kebbi was contributing about 60 per cent of Nigeria’s rice production.
The caucus also decried that the recent flood disaster had also adversely affected inter-state transportation and communication between the southern part of the country and the North-West geopolitical zone.
Jega stated, “We, the Kebbi State caucus of the House of Representatives, commiserate with the government and people of Kebbi State over the flood disaster that has ravaged the entire state, being the focal point of the Federal Government policy on rice production in the country.
“The disaster could not have come at a worse time for our farmers, who hitherto looked forward to a bumper harvest this year to reduce the rising cost of food items; it is a major setback to the Federal Government’s effort to boost local rice production as part of measures to end rice importation.”
