Lack of transport hinders distribution of relief items

Saboba, (N/R), Oct. 19, GNA- Lack of sufficient transport and fuel are hindering the distribution of relief items to victims of the recent floods in some parts of the Northern Region. Over 20,000 flood victims in communities in the Saboba/Chereponi District have still not received relief items because of lack of no fuel and vehicles to convey the items.

Mr. Kramo Matur Joshua, Saboba/Chereponi District Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), said this when Mr. Douglas Asiedu Akrofi (DCOP) Rtd, National Coordinator of NADMO led a team of officials, including officers from the Ministry of Interior to Saboba on Thursday to find out how the relief items were being distributed.

The officials included Mr. Romeo Adu-Tutu, Director of Human Resource Management (NADMO Desk officer Ministry of Interior), Nana Opoku Ampomah, Chief Accountant, Nana Kwesi Sarpong, Public Relations Officer Ministry of Interior and Alhaji Alhassan Mohamoud, Northern Regional Coordinator of NADMO. Mr. Joshua said the district office of NADMO in Saboba had so far received over 1,037 mini and 65 maxi bags of maize respectively, 808 bags of rice, 154 mattresses, 774 cartons of soap, 1,635 mats and 2,694 blankets.

He said only 17 communities in two zones in the Saboaba and Demon areas had received some relief items.

Mr Joshua pointed out that earlier statistics on the number of people who would need relief assistance might not be accurate because some communities, which were inaccessible during the pick of the floods, were now reporting their cases.

Mr. Osman Musah, Deputy Coordinating Director of the Saboba/ Chereponi District Assembly said the assembly had set up a distributing committee, which determined areas and quantities of relief items for each disaster affected area depending on the needs of the people. He said as far as possible the distribution team had ensured fairness and transparency in the distribution of the relief items and had on occasions called on religious leaders and traditional rulers to witness the distribution of the items.

He said the recipients of the items in each community were also made to sign forms indicating the quantity of the items they had received from the distribution team.

Mr. Musah said the assembly also organised a one-day refresher course for the NADMO coordinators to educate them on how to handle the distribution of the relief items.

Mr. Asiedu-Akrofi expressed satisfaction at the distribution system adopted by the NADMO officials in the district and assured that he and his team would brief the Inter-Ministerial Task Force on their findings. He and the inspection them visited the Donkondo Community in the Saboba/Chereponi district to find out how the relief items were distributed but could not cross over the river to the other side. The team earlier on Wednesday visited the Central Gonja District to monitor the distribution of the relief items.