Churches receive N18m flood aid

Asaba - Delta State has received a N18 million grant to help churches affected by the 2012 flood in the state.

The Committee on Management of Federal Government Funds on Flood Disaster donated the money.

The committee’s Chairman, Retired Justice Francis Tabai, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba that the grants were disbursed through the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

Tabai said CAN representatives in the 14 local government areas (LGAs) affected by the flood in the state received the money for the churches, and that the grants were disbursed in Warri.

He said 1 220 churches in the affected areas were devastated by the flood.

"The CAN branches got between N500,000 and N2.9 million, depending on the extent of devastation,’’ Tabai said.

He however explained that the grant was only a token from the state government.

"It was not to replace what the churches had lost, but to support the rehabilitation process.

"The money may not be able to take care of all the needs of the churches, but it will assist them in putting some things in place,’’ the committee chairman said.

Tabai added that more assistance would still be given to the churches as the rehabilitation process continues.

"The state government is determined to mitigate the hardship caused by the flood,’’ he said.

The grant represented the first time the committee was giving cash to the flood victims in the state since it was inaugurated in October 2012.

"We did so because of the role of the church in nation-building,’’ he said.

After the flood, the state government had distributed relief materials which included farm inputs and food items to flood victims.