Declare state of emergency on poor state of infrastructure in coastal communities ― Reps tell Buhari

Members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday urged Federal Government to declare a State of Emergency on the poor state of infrastructure in all the coastal communities in Nigeria.

The resolution was passed sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Kolade Victor Akinjo, who underscored the urgent need for the Federal Government’s deliberate and direct intervention in improving the standard of living and provision of the basic infrastructure of the Coastal Communities in Nigeria in a bid to restore the sense of
belonging of the Coastal Communities

In his lead debate, Hon. Akinjo noted that by the provisions of Section 14(2b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the welfare and security of the people is the primary purpose of government and Section 14(4) of the Constitution enjoins the State to ensure national integration, foster the sense of belonging and involvement among citizens to ensure that loyalty to the nation overrides sectional loyalties.

“The House also notes that the Nigeria Coastal Zone spreads to ten Coastal States and namely Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Rivers and the Imo States, the Coastal States which accounts for about 25% of the nation’s population are classified into four regions, from West to East namely: the Barrier Lagoon Coast, which lies between Badagry and Ajumo East in Lekki Town; the Transgressive Mud Coast lying between Ajumo and Benin River Estuary in the North-Western flank of the Niger Delta; the Niger Delta lying between Benin River in the West and Imo River in the East and the Strand Coast which is at the Nigerian/Cameroon border in the East and Cross River.

“The House is aware that despite Nigeria having an impressive Coastline that spreads to ten States, the infrastructure decadence in tangential coastal communities is alarming.

“The House is disturbed that despite being surrounded by Water, coastal communities in Nigeria do not have access to potable water and are left to use water polluted with saline or crude oil or even human excrement as their source of water, thereby exposing them to diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea to name a few.

“The House is also aware that those communities lack access to basic healthcare, despite government’s construction or establishment of Rural Healthcare Centers in different Wards all over Nigeria

“The House is further aware that the National Health Act stipulates that Primary Healthcare Centers be constructed in each Ward comprising the Federal Republic of Nigeria, yet, till today, there are no basic healthcare facilities in almost all coastal communities in Nigeria, forcing the indigenes and residents of those Coastal Communities to travel several kilometres in a bid to access basic health care services, making many to lose their lives in the cause of search of basic health care and in the case of pregnant women, they have to resort to traditional means of midwifery as the only means of healthcare resulting in high mortality and avoidable deaths.

“The House is also disturbed that the growing state of infrastructural deficit in the coastal areas of the federation manifest with spiral effects on the poor state of the structure of both primary and secondary schools leaving the schools in an alarming state of disrepair where students and pupils of respective schools have to sit on bare floors to learn in a non-conducive academic environment.

“The House is further disturbed that the adumbration of challenges of the coastal communities mentioned above are equally extended to more worrisome situations where many of the coastal communities in Nigeria are not connected to the national power grid, no critical effort to make them enjoy solar power grid support of the Federal Government.

“The House is worried that Telecommunication connection in the coastal communities is equally very poor and that the budget of the Federal Ministries and Parastatals seems to overtly silence on the infrastructural predicaments of the coastal communities.

“The House is further aware that Federal Government through various interventions had created some Ministries, Agencies and Parastatals to take care of some challenges of the coastal areas of the federation including the Federal Ministry of the Niger Delta, Niger Delta Development Agency (NDDC), but with obviously minimal outcome in the sense that some of the agencies had lost its focus and many are currently bedevilled with the crisis of corruption and ineptitudes.

“The House is worried that there are some intervention agencies of state charged with the development of Oil Producing States in Nigeria, several of the Coastal Communities in Nigeria do not fall within the mandate of both the Niger Delta Development Commission and the North East Development Commission, hence the need for Federal Government’s deliberate and direct intervention in improving the standard of living and provision of the basic infrastructure of the Coastal Communities in Nigeria in a bid to restore the sense of belonging of the Coastal
Communities,” he observed.

To this end, the House urged the Federal Ministry of Health to ensure the provision of Basic/Primary Healthcare Services in all the Coastal Communities.

The lawmakers also urged the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to immediately prioritize the provision of potable water in all coastal communities in Nigeria.

In the same vein, the House tasked the Federal Ministry of Education on the need to collaborate with State Basic Education Boards of Coastal States, to ensure the establishment of standard schools in the Coastal communities in order to improve access of the residents of those communities to quality education and help in equipping the already existing ones.

In the bid to accelerate the development of the affected communities, the House urged the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to step up infrastructural developmental efforts in Coastal Communities within their statutory purviews.

To this end, the House mandated the joint Committees on Niger Delta Development Commission and Niger Delta Ministry to ensure compliance.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents

In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state…BBNaija 2020 housemate.  BBNaija 2020 housemate

Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train

The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report…BBNaija 2020 housemate. BBNaija 2020 housemate