Urges FG to tame Giroyo, Bakolori dams downstream
Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The Kebbi State Government has appealed to the Federal Government to provide a special intervention fund to the State to compensate victims of flood disasters.
The government also urged Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the downstream of Giroyo and Bakolori dams, which frequently cause flooding and destroy farms and property.
Kebbi Commissioner for Information and Culture Alhaji Mamuda Muhammed Wara, who made the appeal in a statement made available to newsmen in Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday on behalf of other commissioners in the State, commiserated with the flood victims across Kebbi’s 21 Local Government Areas.
Wara said in the statement: ‘On behalf of the Honorable Commissioners, I write to commiserate with the Governor of Kebbi State, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, and the good people of Kebbi State, over the flood disaster which unprecedently and adversely affected the entire State.
‘The flood has a resultant effect in the destruction of the infrastructure of the Government of Kebbi State worth billions of naira, in form of bridges, roads, schools, and other substructure for the welfare of the people of the State. Similarly, hundreds of houses, numerous farmlands containing hitherto farm produce worth billions of naira were also lost to the flood.
‘As we sincerely sympathise and console with the Government and people of the State, we wish to appeal to the Federal Government, international communities and organisations as well corporate entities, individuals and groups to as a matter of emergency join hand with and support the Kebbi State Government under the able leadership of Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu with a view to returning normalcy and providing succour to victims and cushion the effect of the flood.
‘We also call on the Federal Government and its relevant agencies to mediate with a view to finding lasting solutions to the effect of Goronyo and Bakolori Dams on the downstream people of Kebbi State. In the same vein, as the Niger Delta receives special grants and consideration being the last point of the River Niger, Kebbi State at the same way is the first entry port of the River Niger in Nigeria with dozens of tributaries and distributaries which similarly requires special intervention.
‘We finally pray to Allah Almighty to recompensate all that was lost and protect further occurrences of the disaster in Kebbi State and Nigeria as a whole.’
