On Thursday, NEMA and the Nigerian Air Force began the airlift of relief materials to Bayelsa flood victims.
The products included 1,400 bags of 10 kg rice, 1,400 bags of 10 kg beans, 1,400 bags of 10 kg maize, and 75 bags of 20 kg salt, according to newsmen.
Among the non-food goods donated were 600 boxes of soap, 1,000 mosquito net pieces, and 8,000 pieces of nylon matting.
The Nigerian Air Force's 107 Air Maritime Group flew the materials from Benin to begin the operation.
Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa accepted the supplies on his behalf, and Mr. Angos Dide, Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, thanked the federal government for providing them.
He also commended the Nigerian Air Force for assistance rendered to victims and recalled similar aid in 2018.
Dide said NEMA and SEMA would collaborate by moving to the most affected areas to distribute the items.
Godwin Tepikor, the Coordinator of NEMA South-South Zone said the items approved by the Federal Government would be judiciously distributed to victims.
He said the Federal Government had long directed the issuance of relief materials to flood victims across the country.
“We could not access Bayelsa readily because the state was cut off from the rest of the country and it was difficult to move down with the materials provided by the Federal Government.
“We had to rely on our partner, the Nigerian Air Force for assistance to move the items down,’’ he explained.
Tepikor commended the Chief of Air Staff for approving the platform for the airlift of food and non-food items to Bayelsa.
Only on Wednesday, Gov. Diri said Bayelsa had not received relief materials for flood victims, though 21 states were listed for immediate succour.
He spoke when Gov. Udom Emmanuel visited to donate N100 million to Bayelsa flood victims.