By Victor Ahiuma-Young

NIGERIA Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has called on the Federal Government to do more towards ameliorating the plight of victims of flood disasters currently ravaging the country.

In a statement by its Acting General Secretary, Mr. Isaac Aberare, NUPENG said a state of emergency should be declared in the affected communities, while relief materials and temporary abode be made for them.

It demanded that a supplementary budget to assist the flood victims be quickly sent to the National Assembly for approval to provide succour for the affected people and their communities.

The statement said: “The union commiserates with the families of those who have lost their lives in the floods. The union warns that state governments should desist from allocating and allowing buildings to be erected in flood-prone areas; especially around the river banks.

“The union calls on the Federal and state governments to, as a matter of urgency, dispatch medical teams to the areas to avert epidemic and diseases from ravaging the communities.

“NUPENG re-iterates that the three tiers of government must begin to enlighten the populace on global warming or climate change, which is partly responsible for the upsurge.”