IHRC Harps on Emergency Assistance for Victims of Floods Nationwide
* Atiku donates N50m in Kano
*Bayelsa mourns as body of 31-year old footballer is recovered
*Peter Obi assesses flooding in Asaba, calls for support for displaced persons
*Lagos restates capacity to manage natural disaster Make flood management national risk priority
*SERAP urges Buhari to probe utilisation of ecological funds
Emmanuel Addeh, Udora Orizu in Abuja, Dike Onwuamaeze in Lagos and Olusegun Samuel, Yenagoa
The International Human Rights Commission (IHRC), has urged the federal, state and local governments to share the responsibility of protecting their citizens from disasters and help them to recover early.
The call by the IHRC came even as the floods continued to cause more havoc in communities as well as in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State where residents were thrown into mourning at the weekend over the death of a popular footballer who lost his life in the raging flood.
Also, in continuation of his solidarity visits and humanitarian outreaches to states in Nigeria affected by flooding, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, has visited Asaba, Delta State, to assess the extent of the damage caused by the floods and to commiserate with the victims.
This was just as former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic (PDP) Atiku Abubakar yesterday donated the sum of N50 million to victims of flood at the popular textile market in Kano, Kantin Kwari.
The IHRC in a statement in Abuja, noted that the 2022 flooding being experienced in the country has been intense and has been confirmed as Nigeria’s worst flood disaster in a decade, increasingly becoming worse than those of 2012 and 2018.
Speaking after a participatory and damage assessment aimed at enhancing national and global efforts to mitigate flooding effects in Nigeria, IHRC Ambassador at Large and Head of Diplomatic Mission in Nigeria, Dr. Duru Hezekiah, expressed worry over the condition of victims of the disaster.
“I am deeply distressed by the scope of devastation and suffering that have befallen many Nigerians caused by the rising floodwaters which have recorded human and material losses with several homes submerged by floods in Kogi, Anambra, Bauchi, the Gombe States, among others.
“Apart from submerging houses and farmlands, critical infrastructure such as schools, healthcare centres, police stations, banks, offices were also affected; a situation that made the state governments shut down schools in the riverine areas,” he said.
He explained that the current situation required a more comprehensive approach, disaster relief, and emergency assistance devoid of political, ethnic, or religious discrimination to effectively support state and local governments and their citizens.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the delay in interventions by the government to find a lasting solution to the seasonal flooding in Nigeria, Hezekiah asserted that amid the overwhelming disaster, it was inhumane that due attention was not being given to the menace all over the country.
While lamenting the pains Nigerians were going through due to the massive flooding, he stated that instead of focusing on the forthcoming elections, a strategy should be devised on how to win what he termed the ravaging pandemic.
“We, therefore, have a serious and humanitarian tragedy on our hands that urgently requires our collective help in mitigating the effects by providing aid to individuals and households.
“We need to repair or replace disaster-damaged public facilities like schools and healthcare facilities, and hazard mitigation assistance for funding measures designed to reduce future losses to public and private property,” he stated.
While affirming that Kogi and other affected states are not alone in the situation, he highlighted the efforts of the governor of the state, Yahaya Bello, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and the various State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
He urged states to make available to the public a toll-free telephone number in their situation rooms with the task of coordinating responses and obtaining urgent disastrous cases.
“In our compassionate plea as an intergovernmental diplomatic organisation, we hereby appeal to other international agencies; the IFAD, EU, NEWMAP and others to come to the aid of victims.
“We also urge governors to be accessible and flexible in accepting proposals and partnerships aimed at providing appropriate actions and implementation of participatory emergency plans when made”, the IHRC stated.
Bayelsa Mourns as Body of 31-year Old Footballer is Recovered
Meanwhile, Bayelsa state was thrown into mourning at the weekend over the death of a popular footballer, who lost his life in the raging flood.
The 31-year old footballer, Ernest Peremobowei was drowned in the raging flood at Yenebelebiri community in Yenagoa local Government area of Bayelsa state.
The corpse of the deceased was recovered two days after his body was swept under the canal. It has since been deposited at the morgue at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa
THISDAY gathered that the deceased, a well-known footballer who had won laurels with several local teams, including the Internal Grace Football Club which emerged winner of the last State Governor’s Cup. He was also voted the third highest goal scorer in the tournament.
Peremobiwei, it was gathered was on his way to the Yenebelebiri community located across the state capital in company of five other persons when their boat hit the Government Jetty Barge and they lost control. He lost his life after saving five other occupants of the boat.
The younger brother of the deceased, Ernest Komboye, who confirmed the incident, said his brother died of exhaustion after saving five occupants of the boat.
“He was in company of five other persons who were trying to cross over to the Yenebelebiri community to check the level of flood to their houses and properties.
“Due to the high current of the flood, they lost control of the boat when they smashed into the Government Jetty Barge.
“He was the only one that knows how to swim well and he rescued the five persons with him. I think he was exhausted and was washed away by the current.”
He also confirmed that the last person rescued by his late brother was still at the Federal Medical Center, Yenagoa for treatment.
Komboye, said the loss of his brother to the rampaging flood was painful and a huge loss to his wife and two children, aged between 10months (girl) and 3yrs (boy),” the family is appealing to the State Government to assist the deceased’s children and the family at this trying moments.”
Peter Obi: We Pray This Doesn’t Happen Again
In a related development, in continuation of his solidarity visits and humanitarian outreaches to states in Nigeria affected by flooding, Obi has visited Asaba to assess the extent of the damage caused by the floods and to commiserate with the victims.
Obi had, the previous day, visited the flooded areas in Bayelsa State; the Internally Displaced Persons camp in Ogbaru, Anambra State; the Industrial Harbour in Onitsha and the IDP camps in Anambra East, to reach out to those affected by flooding and encourage them.
While speaking at Asaba during his tour of the flooded areas around the Bridge Head, Obi said he felt sad for the huge economic losses brought upon the people by the floods, but above all, by the lives lost to the disaster.
He revealed that from his interaction with business owners within the area, billions of naira worth of investments have been washed away by the floods.
“I can imagine the pains and difficulties the flood victims are going through. I feel bad about the lives and property lost to the floods. Take a look at Tourist Garden Hotel, Asaba, which is worth over N2 billion and see how it is submerged under water.
“I have spoken to the owner of the hotel to encourage him. Even the manufacturing arm of his Company, at the industrial harbour, is badly affected. These are very challenging times for Nigerians,” Obi empathised.
He appreciated the Governor of Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, for his efforts in giving succour, hope and encouragement to the flood victims, while encouraging the people to remain hopeful and optimistic.
“We pray that a disaster like this never befalls us again. We continue to appeal to relevant governmental and non-governmental organisations to continue to reach out to the people displaced by floods and continue to help them through these difficult times,” he said.
Lagos Restates Capacity to Manage Natural Disaster
Also, following renewed fears of residents about the ravages of massive flooding nationwide, Lagos State over the weekend convened a meeting of all critical stakeholders to evaluate the state’s preparedness for any eventuality.
At the meeting, it was resolved that while Lagos was not totally immuned from flooding, the state would continue to effectively manage its situation.
Addressing the meeting at Alausa Secretariat, which was convened on the directives of the State Governor, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello said now was the time for all enforcement arms of the state to step up their supervisory roles.
He stated that the enforcement impact must be felt by recalcitrant people and institutions who have defied government and built structures on drainage alignments, flood plains and low lying areas now more than ever before.
According to a statement, he added that despite the fact that Lagos was a coastal city with almost one third of its total landmass under water, what it experiences after each bout of heavy rainfalls was flash flooding which would recede few hours after the cessation of such rainfalls.
Bello, while sympathising with all those who suffered one form of losses or another nationwide due to the prevalence of flooding said Lagos was constantly monitoring the Ogun River which flows directly into the Lagos Lagoon.
He said the Seasonal Rainfall Pattern for 2022 released earlier in the year by the Nigerian Metrological Services NIMET had predicted that the peak of the resurgent rainfall for the year will be in October.
The Commissioner said Lagos may be susceptible to dangers of flooding with the periodic release of rain water from Oyan Dam by the managers, the Ogun Oshun River Basin Development Authority to maintain the sanctity of the dam and which may increase the level of water of the lagoon.
He added that as a result of the development, residents of all identified areas like Ketu, Alapere, Agric, Owode onirin, Ajegunle, Alagbole, Kara, Isheri olowora,Araromi Otun orisha community, Agiliti, Maidan, Mile 12, Odo ogun, Owode elede, Agboyi 1, Agboyi II, Agboyi III which are banks to the Ogun River are again being alerted to be ready and alert to relocate at any given time.
He informed that what many fail to realise was that the position and location of Lagos State on the map makes the Lagos Lagoon the convergence point of all water from the Ogun River, Ona Ibu River, Osun River, Sasha River that runs across many South West States.
He explained that the state was also working in concert with the Ogun Oshun River Basin Development Authority to ensure that rain water releases that pass through the Oyan dam have minimal negative impact on the residents.
Bello reiterated that the State through the Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources was embarking on massive dredging and cleaning of all primary and secondary collectors across the state.
This was in addition to construction of new channels as well as deployment of the quick response Emergency Flood Abatement Gang to free up manholes and black spots all to ensure that the drains perform at optimum capacity to be able to contain runoffs.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary in the Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources, Engineer Nurudeen Shodeinde assured residents that the state government was upping the ante in terms of its preparedness on a 24/7 basis.
He also said other residents living along major drainage channels of System 1 to 169 round the state must also be wary of the effects of flash flooding.
NECA Tasks FG to Make Flood Management a National Risk Priority
In the meantime, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), NECA has called on the federal government to make the management of flood risk a national priority in its disaster risk management agenda.
The call was contained in a statement titled, “Flood and the Emerging Circumstantial Economic Refugees,” which was issued yesterday by the Director General of NECA, Mr. Adewale Oyerinde, who observed that historically, Nigeria had been more focused on post-disaster flood response than control.
Oyerinde, however, advised the government that henceforth the task of, “reducing and addressing exposure to flood risk should now be a national priority in the government’s disaster risk management agenda.”
He also called, “on relevant ministries and agencies of government to rally round and support businesses and citizens in ameliorating the loss, while designing appropriate policies in addressing the climate change effects in order to meet the 2050 United Nations declaration on global warming.”
The director general of NECA stated that, “the consequences of the flood on the already fragile economy and pauperised citizens can only be imagined. The destruction of personal and economic infrastructure has invariably created circumstantial economic refugees. While the causes of the floods remain controversial, the reality of billions of Naira lost and lives prematurely wiped away cannot be denied.”
According to him, the economic loss of the flood was massive, especially the devastating loss of a 100 hectares of rice farm in Nasarawa State, which is owned by Olam Agric and worth over $140 million, as well as the imminent food and unemployment crisis that these portend.
Oyerinde averred that, “as citizens grapple with high inflation rate, high cost of living, increasing cost of gas and businesses forced to operate in an increasingly hostile regulatory environment, the flood has further compounded the situation, compelling many to migrate from their abode to other higher grounds with various social, economic and unemployment consequences.”
SERAP Urges Buhari to Probe Utilisation of Ecological Funds
Also, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami and appropriate anti-corruption agencies to thoroughly investigate the spending of Ecological Fund by governments at all levels—federal, state and local governments from 2001 to date.
SERAP’s letter followed reports that the ravaging flooding in some parts of the country had resulted in the loss of over 600 lives, displacement of more than a million persons, and destruction of properties worth billions.
In the open letter dated October 22, 2022, signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said trillions of ecological funds had allegedly gone down the drain and resulting human costs directly threaten human rights, which the government has an obligation to protect.
SERAP threatened to take legal action in seven days if government failed to comply with the request.
The letter read in part, “Although ecological funds are shared across the three tiers of government, and emergency management agencies, the funds are managed and supervised by the federal government.
“According to the audit of the Ecological Fund Office carried out by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, (NEITI), the total amount allocated and received by the fund from December 2011 to November 2016 was N277 billion.
“The operations of the Fund from 2012 to 2016 reportedly showed that some of the disbursements were not utilised for the purpose for which it was established. During these periods, N74,170,932,645.20 was released to state governments to solve ecological problems in their states. “Your government has the legal obligations to hold all tiers of government and emergency management agencies to account, and to trace, find, and recover any missing ecological funds.”
Atiku Donates N50m to Victims of Flood in Kano
Also, former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic (PDP) Atiku Abubakar has donated the sum of N50 million to victims of flood at the popular textile market in Kano, Kantin Kwari.
Delivering a speech at the residence of Malam Ibrahim Shekarau who recently dumped the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Atiku announced his donation to the victims.
“Kano is a renown commercial centre that has its marks in the economy. I wish to use this opportunity to console victims of the unfortunate flood that was necessitated by heavy down pour.
“I also wish to use this opportunity to donate the sum of N50 million to those affected by the unfortunate situation,” he said.
