President and chairman of Tompolo Foundation, Government Ekpemupolo a.k.a Tompolo, has donated food items worth N150 million to the recent flood victims in Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states. The relief items were officially handed over to representatives of the victims across the three states on Monday in Warri, Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.
Presenting the items on behalf of the Foundation, Executive Secretary of Tompolo Foundation, Dr Paul Bebenimibo, said that the items include 2, 400 bags of rice; 100 bags of beans and 200 bags of gari. Others are 5, 000 tubers of yam; 200 kegs of palm oil; 600 cartons of groundnut oil and 2, 000 cartons of Indomie noodles.
Bebenimibo said that the donation would help to cushion the effect of the disaster on the victims and also help them settle down faster at their respective homes while awaiting assistance from other bodies.
“It is no longer news that our country was greeted with flood disaster few weeks ago and the impact was overwhelming, especially on the people of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states.
“The Tompolo Foundation was established to care for the underprivileged and we have been on the mission in the past 10 years.
“Specifically in 2012 when similar flood came up, we were on hand to provide palliative for the people. This year, we have come to do same thing.
“The President and Chairman of Tompolo Foundation has approved palliative worth N150 million to be distributed to the people of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states.
“We are here to hand them over to the representatives of the beneficiaries so that they can move them to their destinations and distribute to the people,” he said.
Bebenimibo said that Bayelsa, being the worst hit with the disaster, would receive 600 bags of rice and other items. He added that Ahoda East and West local government areas of Rivers State, where the impact was massive, would benefit from the palliative.
“Bayelsa with seven impacted local government areas will receive 600 bags of rice and other items.
“While in Delta State, we are distributing to Bomadi, Patani and Burutu local government areas. We will also extend our hands of fellowship to Isoko, Urhobos and Ndokwa nations in the state,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the government of Bayelsa State, Mr McDonald Igbadiwe, member representing state constituency Four, Southern Ijaw, thanked the Foundation for the generosity..He said that Bayelsa State was the most impacted state by the flood, adding it was cut off from other parts of the country.
The lawmaker said that the state government spent over N1 billion to ameliorate the impact of the disaster on the people and urged other people to emulate the generosity of Tompolo.
“The flood impact in Bayelsa can only be compared to that of Pakistan. We are riverside people but we have not experienced such flood before.
“On behalf of the government of Bayelsa State, we appreciate what Tompolo has done by coming to the aid of the people of Bayelsa.
The Commissioner representing the Urhobo Nation at the Delta Oil Producing Area and Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Mr Vincent Oyibode, thanked Tompolo for the gesture. Oyibode, who received the palliatives on behalf of the Urhobo nation, described Tompolo as a generous leader.
