Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has described the claim by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Farouq, that contrary to perception in some quarters, Bayelsa State now reeling under floods, is not among the 10 most affected states in the country, as 'irredeemably rigged, manipulated and skewed by her Ministry to ensure that federally redistributed relief materials and assistance from international and local donors were diverted to the Northern State of Jigawa State.

HURIWA further observed the Minister’s claim was not only sensational but lacked justifiable empirical data.

The group queried, rhetorically: “If statistics about negative development could be manipulated for Ethno-religious, mundane reasons, to gain more relief materials to Jigawa State, how are we sure the 2023 general election won't suffer the same ethno-religious Nigerian virus?”

Debunking the error-prone, allegedly doctored statistics of the worst affected States by floods in 2022 as released by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, HURIWA accused “Ms. Farouk, who appeared at the Ministerial Media Briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, and made the assertion seeking to discredit the extensively held and scientifically established perception that Bayelsa State is amongst the few worst affected states by floods, of regional and religious bigotry and favouritism by naming Jigawa state to be the number one and to state without justification that ‘Bayelsa State is not even amongst the first 10 worst hit states’. Nothing can be more illogical and puerile than this baseless assertion.”

HURIWA condemned the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management “for failing to respect science but to rely on conjectures in reaching a determination that Jigawa, with virtually no big Rivers compared to Bayelsa that is located virtually on top of massive Deep seas, is worst affected by floods than Bayelsa State.”

The rights group is therefore demanding from the Minister to show proofs that she has actually visited the flood affected areas in such places as Anambra and Bayelsa states.

It equally accused NEMA of concentrating virtually 85 per cent of the distribution of publicly procured relief materials to Northern Nigeria.

“The conclusion reached by the Minister with specific reference to scoring Jigawa State first was done just to curry favours and to be able to win more relief materials for her people, the Muslim Northerners; rather than to rely on Science and deliver appropriate relief materials to appropriate places,” HURIWA stated.