From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja. Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa and Paul Osuyi, Asaba
The Federal Government has revealed that 154 locations with transport infrastructure worth N80 billion have been impared or damaged by floods, which have claimed 612 lives, 1.4 million displaced and thousands of properties worth billions destroyed.
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, who briefed State House Correspondents alongside his colleagues in Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouk and Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, absolved Federal Government of blame for not providing temporary shelters for citizens in vulnerable flood plains who said had nowhere to go.
He claimed it was the responsibility of states and local governments to do that.
“You see, first of all, let us be clear, this is not in Nigerian, unique problem. We see this all over the world. It’s a human issue. At least let us dimension that whether it was in Pakistan, Florida, this early warnings were issued. Some people left, some people didn’t leave. There are human issues.
“So, let’s just understand, first of all, it’s a human issue and let us not situate it as a Nigerian problem. Now, also realise that there are levels of government involved here. There is a Federal Government, there is a state government, there are 36 of them. And there are 774, local governments, those places relating to who builds where, who sets up the house, of course, are local planning issues that are not the responsibility of the Federal Government.”
Minister of Water Resources, Adamu, noted that it would take 30 years of consistent investment to control the menace.
He affirmed that nobody can stop the phenomenon in the country.
He noted that government can only minimise the impact of the occurrence.
Udom donates N100m to Bayelsa, says situation pathetic
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, has sympathised with his Bayelsa counterpart, Senator Douye Diri, over the flood situation in his state, describing it as “extremely pathetic”.
Mr. Emmanuel, who led a delegation of members of his cabinet to Government House, Yenagoa, on Wednesday, said it was his cabinet’s decision to visit Bayelsa based on the magnitude of the flood that hit the state.
He applauded the relentless efforts of Governor Diri in standing by his people in their moment of despair, describing his gesture as a mark of true leadership.
“With what I saw on television, l just could not stay. I did not know the extent of the damage the flood had caused the people of the state. My people played the whole video clip in our Executive Council Chambers and we were moved to tears. We decided at the meeting to be here to sympathise with you and your people.”
He said whatever affects Bayelsa also impacts on the people of his state since they share a common affinity in the Niger Delta.
The Akwa Ibom governor, who presented a cheque of N100 million to Diri, also announced that a truck-load of relief materials courtesy of his wife’s Family Empowerment Programme Foundation was on its way to support flood victims in the state.
Senator Diri expressed gratitude to Governor Emmanuel for his show of love and brotherhood, describing the impact of the flood as immeasurable.
No relief from FG
Meanwhile, Governor Diri has said the state was yet to receive any relief item from the Federal Government.
He explained that although the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management said the Federal Government had sent relief items to 21 states affected by flooding, Bayelsa was yet to receive such items.
He however thanked the Nigeria Air Force on behalf of the state for assisting the relief effort by airlifting of food items that were procured by the state government.
10,611 households displaced in Delta
chairman of Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State, Juan Amechee Governor on Wednesday said a total of 10,611 households across impacted communities in the locality were displaced by the current ravaging flood.
The council chairman, in his regular flood impact summary, said all the farmlands in the locality were devastated beyond remedy.
Roads and other critical infrastructures including the council secretariat in Aboh, were also submerged, as earlier reported.
Governor Ifeanyo Okowa had disclosed that the council so far received N1,500,000.00 donations which was lodged in the council’s account and earmarked for post flood management plans.
The council boss further stated that with the receding flood, residents would face some new degree of challenges, and therefore solicited assistance in areas where the council lacked capacity to manage.
He called for quick fix of Ashaka-Kwale, Ashaka-Arhade, Ashaka-Aboh, Ase, Asaba Ase, Aboh-Akarai roads and the roads in the seven Ibrede Clans, Iselegu-Inyi/Onuabor road, Oko through the several Utchi clans down to Okpai roads, Obiikwele road, Igbuku-Ibrede road among others.
He also called for the fumigation of the communities before internally displaced residents could be resettled, even as he asked for initial starter packs such as foodstuffs for the would-be returnees.
“Farm starter items e.g. Cassava stems, stalks, yam seedlings, grains, fishing nets and accessories, farm tools, fertilizers, etc.