George Okoh in Makurdi
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has called on the federal government to urgently intervene in the problem of flooding which has rendered many residents of Makurdi, the state capital, homeless.
Ortom who inspected flooded areas in the town yesterday described the problem as overwhelming.
He said the problem of flooding has arisen at the time his administration was facing challenges of salary payment and called on those living in flood prone areas across the state to relocate.
He directed the state emergency management agency, SEMA, to liaise with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for the purpose of assisting displaced persons and directed that excavators should be used to create emergency water channels pending federal government intervention.
He specifically requested the federal government to consider the release of ecological funds to the state maintaining that if urgent steps are not taken, the sad experience of 2012 might repeat itself.
He frowned at the building of houses on drainage and flood plains and noted that such structures would have to be demolished.
He said government expects that people should have valid papers for their buildings and remarked that those without such papers should be ready to face the demolition exercise
During the inspection, Governor Ortom visited the Radio Benue transmission station which was submerged by water and went to Katsina-Ala street and Achusa media village were properties worth millions of naira belonging to journalists were destroyed.
At the streets behind the service commission where Ortom was told that a contractor was given about N1 billion to provide drainage channels but he absconded, he said the matter was being handled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
