12 communities sacked in Edo

By Wole Mosadomi, Omeiza Ajayi and Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu

Seven communities have been sacked by unending rainfall which led to the overflow of the bank of River Niger in several areas in Etsako East and Etsako Central local government areas of Edo state.

30,000 were said to have been displaced by the incident and this has led to the traditional ruler of the Oliola Uzanu of South East Uneme in Estako Central local government, HRH Benjamin Ikani, crying out over the sacking of communities in his domain by flood.

Ikani listed communities affected by the flood to include Uneme-Ekwuekpele, Uneme-Ogwoyo, Uneme-Ukpeku, Uneme-Ogbethaya, Uneme-Yeluwa and Uneme-Unubu.

In a related development, residents of about 100 communities, forced out of their homes in various villages in Niger State after days of torrential rainfall that resulted in severe flooding and now temporarily resettled in Central Primary School in Zungeru, have vowed not to return home unless permanent structures are erected for them.

The immediate implication of this is that pupils of the school they are occupying will also be temporarily displaced and their education put on hold as they will not be able to resume along with their counterparts across the state tomorrow.

Similarly, millions of Naira will continue to be spent on them by government on feeding, drugs, security among others as long as they remain there .

Our correspondent who visited the camp yesterday was told that almost 700 people including males, females and children were sheltered at the primary school at the expense of Niger state government.

Already, they have spent four days in the school but the total amount expended on them cannot be immediately quantified.

Worried by the rising water level at the Rivers Niger and Benue confluence, President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, ordered the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to declare “national disaster” in the event that projected flooding becomes a reality in the identified 12 vulnerable states.

This came as NEMA and other critical stakeholders have activated the National Contingency Plan to deal with the emergency situation.

The President, in a letter to the Director of General of NEMA, Engr. Mustapha Malhaja, titled:

‘Situation Report on the River Flood Along the Banks of Rivers Benue and Niger’ , which was signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, said: “Delegation of authority to the Director General of NEMA to activate the Disaster Response Units of the military for possible search and rescue missions, and the procurement and proportionate stocking of relief materials and health related items up to N3 billion to provide for the needs of possible victims.”

The letter also instructed the head of the emergency agency to provide regular updates to the President.

At an emergency stakeholders meeting, yesterday, in Abuja, Maihaja had described he emergency situation as going from bad to worse by the day, saying stakeholders would soon decide on whether to declare a national disaster and activate the disaster response unit of the Nigerian military.