Flood: FG takes samples of snakes to determine anti-venom vaccines

BY DEMOLA AKINYEMI & SUZAN EDEH
Bauchi—The Federal Government is to take samples of foreign snakes which infiltrated into the country through the flood that devastated some parts of Bauchi State to determine the type of anti-venom vaccines for them.

Chairperson of the Presidential sub-committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation, Professor Dora Akunyili, made this known when her committee donated relief materials to flood victims at Duduri District, in the state.

The poisonous, foreign snakes were reportedly noticed in Yuli village river by inhabitants of the area.

This was even as the Kwara State Government said it has so far spent N200 million out of the N300million it received from the Federal Government for flood victims on rehabilitation of infrastructure destroyed by the flood.

Chairman of the State Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation, Alhaji Mohammed Dabarako, made this known while presenting some items purchased from the Federal Government’s grant, at the Palace of Emir of Shonga.
He said that N100 million was used to purchase and distribute relief materials to affected communities in five local government areas of the state just as part of the grant would be used to repair rural roads washed away by the flood; replace electric poles damaged in Patigi Local Government as well as villages in Edu and Moro Local Government Areas.

However, Akunyili who later led the sub-committee members to the Yuli village river stream bordering Bauchi and Taraba States to assess the extent of damage caused by the flood, however, sympathized with the victims who informed her that the foreign snakes infiltrated into the district from the Cameroonian dam.
Water released from the Camerounian dam overflowed into the country recently, causing damage to several communities living along the banks of River Niger and River Benue.

Akunyili noted that the infiltrated snakes posed great danger to the inhabitants but noted that there was nothing that could be done unless their samples  were taken to determine the appropriate anti-venom vaccines.

The flood washed away several acres of vegetable and sugar-cane plantations even as it destroyed streams, depriving the inhabitants of good drinking water and electricity.
She also assured the people that the government would restore electricity supply to the area which had been without light for the past seven months.