Flood: Panelists Commiserate With Victims, Tasks Govt at All Levels To Rise To Their Responsibilities

Oghenetejiri Nyerhovwo, Asaba

Panelists in an online media programme has commiserated with victims of the current flood disaster in Nigeria just as they called on Governments at all levels to live up to their responsibilities to bring the perennial flood disaster that affects most part of the country to an end.

This was the view of panelists at a media programme of the Delta Online Publishers From, (DOPF) Media Hangout, which is held monthly.

The Panelists which comprised a veteran Journalists, and Writer Mrs. Herrientta Oyakhilome, a Deputy Manager of the Delta State owned Pointer Newspaper and a former Student Leader and Activist, Comr. Donald Igudia frowned at the inaction of the governments, especially the federal government to find solution to end the effect of the annual release of water from the Cameroonian Dam which when opened empties its excess water to Nigeria Communities.

The programme was Streamed Live on Facebook, and Moderated by Abel Johngold of the Federal Orientation Agency.

The discussants agreed that flood is an environmental problem, an age-old phenomenon which causes a significant rise of water level in a stream, lake, reservoir or coastal system that overflows the banks as a result of natural or man-made disaster that causes discomforts, destruction of lives and propertiesvas well as pollution.

The panelist while emphasizing with the victims of flood in Delta State and Nigeria in general over the discomforts, the destruction of lives and properties and other disease outbreaks following the ravaging flood menace, said that Governments at all levels should always be sensitive, be prepared and proactive enough to combat menace on time by building Internslly Displaced Person’s (IDP’s) camps across the local governments before the occurrence so as to avoid more loss of lives by heeding to the early warning of Nigerian Meteorological Agency( NIMET) and other States and Federal Orientation agencies.

The discussants bemoaned the fact that Governments had not been sensitive to the plight of Nigerians, that is why they had failed to complete the Dam being constructed at Adamawa State to take in the excess water from Cameroon.

They called on governmentas to as a matter of urgency to act on the agreement the country had with Cameroun before their Dams were constructed in 1977 as the group traced the origin of flood menace in Nigeria.

The Panelists alleged that Buhari’s first Military Government stopped the construction then.

DOPF therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to complete the project and as well construct more Dams to solve the problem of endemic flood menace in the country.

They said, “investigations revealed that the opening of the Dam in Cameroun after the water has reached the maximum level, in a larger quantity the rise had to flow down to Nigerian rivers, especially the River Niger and River Benue resulting in flood menace in Nigeria and consistently caused unquantifiable loss of lives and properties, diseases, pollutions in the country a case study of 2012, 2016 and 2022.”

They also appealed to Governments at all levels to put measures in place early enough, they also called on the people to heed the warning of NIMET, Orientation Agencies by mobilizing funds, and partner with other critical stakeholders to build Camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s).

On the distribution of palliatives, they called on the government to be up and doing, advising that they should avoid a repeat of what happened during the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic palliative distribution and monitor the activities of the Flood Committees in the various IDP Camps to avoid politicians enriching themselves with the sorrows of other Deltans, Nigerians as this is in line with reports from victims.

The Panelists also called on the affected states to go beyond food distribution and building of IDP camps but also to see how they can construct their own Dams to hold back the rising waters any time it occurs.