Flooding: Bello urges president Buhari to declare emergency

Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi State, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of national disaster, following the flooding that wreaked havoc in the state.

Authorities say that the flooding follows persistent rainfall and particularly, the release of water from Ladgo dam in Cameroon which caused the river Niger and Benue to overflow. Lokoja sits at the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers.

The flooding which began in late September has destroyed hundreds of homes, especially in the state capital Lokoja and Ajaokuta Local Government Areas (LGA); and displaced more than 10,000 persons.

Recall that the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency had predicted that the country will experience more floods in this year than last year due to “excessive rainfalls.”

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The agency had also alerted states of “serious consequences” in the weeks and months ahead as two of the country’s dams have also started to overflow.

Bello also acknowledged that the 2022 floods is the worst flood disaster in a decade, stating that flooding has so far affected the nine local government areas that border the Niger and Benue rivers, including Lokoja, Kogi-Koto, Ajaokuta, Ofu, Igalamela-Odolu, Bassa, Idah, Ibaji and Omala.

“I am deeply distressed by the scope of devastation and suffering that has already been visited on our people by the rising floodwaters this year,”. “We, therefore, have a serious and humanitarian tragedy on our hands,” Bello was quoted as saying.

He however assured that help was coming the way of every person, family and community which has been affected by flooding in the state.

Several communities in Kogi state including the major highways have been ravaged by what residents have described as the worst flood yet, a situation which has resulted in untold hardship for residents, trapped many vehicles and left many commuters and travellers stranded.

In Ibaji, one of the LGs, at least six persons, including a toddler, were reportedly killed by the flood that sacked several communities. Over 600 hectares of rice farmland among several buildings were also flooded.

The flood also caused heavy gridlock from the Abuja-Lokoja highway to the Lokoja-Koton-Karfe road since Monday and even other major highways.

Residents who spoke to newsmen said that the roads are now underwater, a situation which forces commuters to use boats and canoes to pass through. They described the flooding situation as the worst disaster yet.

They asked the government to intervene and prevent further destruction of lives and property even as those travelling to the Southeast and Southsouth have since been advised to use Nasarawa-Loko-Oweto or Lafia-Markurdi-Otukpo road.

Kwara flooding

In Kwara State, at least six people were confirmed dead after heavy rain poured through Illorin, the state capital from Thursday night till Friday causing intense hardship to the people of the ancient town. Property worth millions of naira, including private buildings, bridges and culverts and fish farms were reportedly destroyed.

According to reports, some of the affected areas in the state include; Asa Dam, Òdòta, Surulere, Baboko, Isale-Koko, Airport area, Warrah Oja, Sawmill, Kuntu, Oloje, Sango, Isale Aluko, Offa Garage/Olulande.

In Anambra, it’s massive

The Anambra State Emergency Management Authority says that over 60 per cent of lands in the State are currently underwater, a development which has forced the state government to order the closure of schools in the areas where over 700,000 people were displaced and 300 communities were sacked.

Apart from submerging houses and farmlands, schools, healthcare centres, police stations and bank offices have been affected. Records from the agency show that Anambra, unlike other states in the same situation, has a peculiar case as over 60 per cent of its 4,885sq km land mass is currently submerged.

The agency also lamented that the figure would rise to a million in a few days’ time as more victims were joining the Internally Displaced Camps daily. Available statistics from SEMA show that Ogbaru has the highest number of persons who have been displaced in the state with 286,000 followed by Anambra West; 237,000, Anambra East; 103,000, Awka North; 10,345, Anyamelum has 9,240 flood cases and 5,468 displaced persons. The victims are camped with various internally displaced persons across the state.

Director General of the agency, Mustapha Habib Ahmed had advised all the governments of the frontline states to move away communities at risk of inundation, identify safe higher grounds for evacuation of persons and preposition adequate stockpiles of food and non-food items.”

Story was adapted from Business Day.