By STephen Ubanna
Those who think that the people of the Niger Delta states of Delta, Bayelsa, Cross river, Rivers and the south east state of Anambra, would heave a sigh of relief over the flooding ravaging their Communities as the 2022 rainy season is gradually coming to an end would be disappointed.
Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, had said that ‘’the states are still at risk of experiencing floods up till the end of November ,2022’’.
The ministerhas made it clear to those that cares to listen that the flood prone states of Delta, Bayelsa, Cross river, Rivers and Anambra, should be ‘’to prepared to experience more flooding in the coming weeks’’. Hajia Farouq, who had described’’ the flood this year, in the country as overwhelming’’, had said that the flooding got out of control because ‘’many states did not ‘’prepare for the floods as they failed to heed to the warnings of the Nigerian Metrological Agency, NMA’’.
Recall that in mid-September, 2022, the Nigerian Emergency Agency,NEMA, had issued a warning that 13 states of the Federation would experience flooding. Mustapha Ahmed, Director General, NEMA, was said to have listed the states which included Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Niger, Nasarawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Cross river, Rivers and Anambra
He had said that Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro, dams, which are located in Niger state, Nigeria, will overflow between mid- September and the end of October, 2022. The NEMA, Director General, was said to have said that the situation in the states would be made worse with ‘’the release of excess water from the Lagodo dam in the Central African country of Cameroon’’.
The Lagodo Dam, operators were said to have commenced releasing the excess water from their reservoir by September 13, 2022, which according to informed sources ‘’cascades down to Nigeria through the River Benue and its tributaries’’ thereby inundating communities that were said to have already been impacted by heavy precipitation.
The released water from the Lagodo Dam in Cameroon, may have complicated the situation further downstream in Nigeria as the Inland reservoirs including the Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro, overflow between mid-September 13, 2022 and now. The fallout was that frontline states and Communities along the course of rivers Niger and Benue, were flooded.
As a prelude to preventing a repeat of such devastating flood in the future, Hajia Farouq, had said that NPOM, ‘’will lead a delegation to Cameroon, in November, ‘’to discuss with the Authorities the periodic opening of the Lagodo dam’’.
The Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, minister, had said that over 603 lives were lost to the flood while a total of 1,302,589 persons were displaced in different parts of the country, particular, in Delta, Bayelsa, Cross river, Rivers and Anambra states.
Adressing the press on Sunday, October 16, 2022, in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, she had disclosed that ‘’on the whole ,2,407 persons were injured and a total of 82,053, houses completely damaged, 108,392 hectares of farmland , partially destroyed while 333,327, hectares were totally destroyed, including many roads and other critical infrastructure’’ due to the flooding.
Given that the flooding of the states is not yet over, may have informed why the minister has asked the the state governments to quickly ‘’evacuate the people living on flood plains to high grounds’’, promising to visit the state governors ‘’to advocate more commitment to strengthening the states’ response mechanisms as stipulated in the National Emergency Preparedness Response Plan’’.
Edwin Clark, an elder statesman and Federal Commissioner for Information , during General Yakubu Gowon, rtd’s, Administration , who could not hide his feelings over the misfortunes that have gripped victims of flooding in the Niger Delta region has called on President Muhammadu Bhari ‘’to act fast because of the looming disasters and humanitarian crises’’. Describing the flood of 2022 was worse than that of 2012, he had said that the government should put all the necessary anti-flood measures in place to be able to tackle the problem urgently.
In a related Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, may not have waited for the ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to send relief materials to victims of the flood in Ahoda West and Ogba/ Egbema – Ndoni, Local government Areas, of the state as he has ‘’approved N1 billion for emergency relief measures to support the flood victims’’.
Many have expected Chukuwuma Soludo, a former governor of Central Bank o Nigeria, CBN, and now governor of Anambra to do more, as one-third of the state has been submerged by flood, turning the already bad situation of the state as the erosion capital of Nigeria worse.
Analysts also expectIfeanyi Okowa, who incidentally is the Oposition PPeople’s Democratic Party, PDP, Vice Presidential Candidate for the 2023, general elections,Senator Douyi Diri, and Prof. Ben Ayande, governors of Delta, Bayela, and Cross river respectively, to take a cue from Wike, instead of waiting for Hajia Frouq, to send relief materials to flood victims in the state.Analysts believe that the only governor who may have followed the footsteps of Wike, if the state was flooded was Emmanuel Udom, governor Of Akwa Ibom state, who incidentally is the Chairman of Atiku Abubabakar, aformer Vice President and PDP, Presidential Candidate for the 2023, general elections, Presidential Campaign Council, PCC.
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