Member of the Edo State House of Assembly, Idaiye Yekini, has called on the state government to urgently provide relief to residents of his constituency affected by rainstorm on March 3, which destroyed over 100 houses.
Yekini, representing Akoko-Edo 1 in the Assembly, made the call while moving a motion under matters of public importance during plenary yesterday in Benin.
He stated that the rainstorm affected six communities in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, displacing families from their homes.
He listed the affected communities as Ojirami, Oja, Dagbala, Ososo, Akuku, and Ate, all in Akoko-Edo, where the destruction caused significant damages.
Yekini appealed to his colleagues to support his call for the national and state emergency management agencies to provide immediate palliatives to the affected communities.
Some of the lawmakers who supported the motion sympathised with the victims, while revealing that the rainstorm also caused destruction in other communities within their respective constituencies.
They urged relevant authorities to act swiftly in providing relief materials and support to cushion the impact of the disaster on the affected residents.
The lawmakers also called on local governments to promote tree planting in their respective domains to serve as buffers against rainstorm.
Empathising with the victims, Speaker Blessing Agbebaku emphasised the importance of tree planting to mitigate the effects of destructive rainstorms in the state.
The House thereafter passed a resolution urging NEMA, SEMA and other relevant agencies to provide assistance to victims of the recent rainstorm disaster.
During the proceeding, a bill for a law to establish the Edo State School of Nursing, Health Science, and Technology, Udomi, 2025, passed second reading. (NAN)