Away from soliciting for relief materials and other succour to the victims of floodings, the Convener of Massses Assembly, Comrade Sule Akpa has advocated for the construction of dams by the federal government to reduced the yearly slogan and incidences of flooding across riverine areas in Nigeria.
The Convener stated that conscious efforts by the government when talking will reduce to the barest the sufferings of people staying around the River Banks of Benue and Niger.
Comrade Sule Akpa made this appeal in a press release while urging the federal government to rise up to the occasion, as state government lacked the political will and enability to handle such delicate and life threatening natural phenomenon.
He said the ongoing assessement and extent of damages to lives and properties was enormous, saying the ritual of distribution of relief materials by state and federal government was no longer tenable.
Farm lands, properties and other materials has been either washed away or submerged by the current flooding, with state and federal government not taking neccessary measures, beyond mere press conferences and releases.
Ambassador Sule Akpa maintained that people on their own from Ibaji, Idah, Lokoja, Kogi , Omala local government areas have now resorted to self help, by evacuating their loved ones through boats at exorbitant costs.
He disagreed with both state and federal government and asked to adopt a lasting measures, rather than temporary measures on issues that is preventable on yearly basis
“I think the government should please do the needful by creating Dams around the Rivers of Niger and Benue to reduce this almost what looks like a yearly slogan of soliciting for relief items for flood victims,it’s really sad, unfortunate and regrettable.”
“Every year, people are run over by flood and ended up displaced,this has happened repeatedly enough to make a sensitive and conscious government to design measures capable of tackling the near fatalistic incidents of flooding.”
“The Solutions which is simply the creation of Dams to serve as retentive channels in the event of flooding given the unending global warming situations is doable and only take the political will to achieve just that.”
“The G7 and other industrialized developed nations whose activities give rise to this global unfortunate issues are not ready to attempt any curative or preventive means of cushioning the effects of the life threatening challenges owing to their unrestricted activities.”
“In the bid to ascertain the extent of damage to properties and livelihood by the flood, we were at Idah and Ejule Ojebe in Ibaji LGA today ,the situation is so pathetic and disheartening.,as for idah,the whole of Ega market is submerged,down to Ugwoda,part of Ede and others. In the case of Ibaji,apart from those wealthy enough to have story buildings,who now relocate to the upstairs as a result of the flood,all other areas are submerged,uchuchu,unale,Ayeke,Odeke ,Echeno,ojugono,Anocha and others,all displaced.”
“As regards the means of transportation,the only way is through speed boat,and the fare is as high as 2500 just from Ega to Onyedega, from Odogwu to Ega ,a journey of 12 kilometers is now 1500 by speed boat.
“Aside the issue of accessibility as mentioned above,those living around the flooded areas are prone to various forms and degrees of one illness or the other,their farms have been over ran by waters,these are the multiple consequences of the flood situations as faced by Kogi,Niger,Benue,Anambra,Bayelsa and others.”
“It’s becoming embarrassing to now begin to solicit for relief materials almost every season for circumstances that is preventable,the governments at both state and federal level of the affected areas should collaborate and with the support from some willing donor agencies to find a lasting solutions to the flood occurrences.”
“Meanwhile, in the face of all these terrible scenerios,NEMA and SEMA are no where to be found.
“Let us all lend our voices to this clarion call on the government to put machineries in motion, aimed at achieving that which we are orchestrating.”
