Flood: 150 Niger Communities Submerged By Water-Niger Governor Bello

John Adams, Minna
As flood continue to wreck havoc across the country, no less than 150 communities across 20 local government areas in Niger state are now under water as a result of flood occasioned by heavy downpour.The Niger state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello disclosed this in Minna on Tuesday, saying that the government is overwhelmed by this development.The governor also said that farm lands and property worth hundreds of Million were either completely submerged or washed away in these 20 affected local government areas.The governor however blamed the development on the opening of the spillway gates of the Kainji dam which he said was spilling over 6000 metric litres of water every second in addition to similar development by two other dams Shiroro and Jebba the first of such action in the history of the state.Bello also said that the N80billion investment by Sunti Sugar company in the state has been washed away by flood leading to several hundreds of farmers and staff of the company jobless.The governor who spoke with newsmen in Minna on Tuesday, said the magnitude of the disaster is now beyond the capability of the government and therefore called for intervention from the federal government  and international agencies.According to him the disclosure was the outcome of four different committees he sent round the state to assess the extent of the flood pointing out that  some people are reported to have died as a result of the incidents.”We have been crying out but no one appears to be listening to us” Bello declared He therefore suggested the establishment of “Special Intervention Fund” to support the state in addition to asking the federal government to make the Hydro Power Producing Areas Development Commission a reality adding that he has already started consulting the governors of Kwara, Kebbi, and Kogi states on how to ensure the immediate takeoff of the Commission.On the poor electricity supply to communities in the state, governor Bello blamed the Discos for the problem consumers are facing, saying that the Abuja Electricity Development Company (AEDC) despite support from the government which included  granting the Company loan has failed to provide meters to consumers and instead continues to give estimated bills to the people.According to him, “The AEDC says people are refusing to pay for electricity consumed but I say they are not refusing to pay because they cannot pay for what they did not consume”Also on the recent closure of some state roads to articulated vehicles, Governor Bello disclosed that it was out of respect for some federal government officials that he allowed articulated vehicles to start plying some roads in the state adding that “if the federal government did not honour his part of the bargain ” I will shut down the roads and let heaven fall “.