Flood: Over 400 people homeless in Kogi community

A Non-Governmental Organization(NGO), Divine Great Minds Empowerment Foundation (DGMEF) has lamented that over 400 residents of the Okume community in the Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi state are presently homeless and facing untold hardship.

The group also appealed to the Kogi state government and spirited Nigerians to come to the aid of the Okume community where houses were completely submerged in water as a result of the 2022 flood disaster.

The executive director of the foundation, Ambassador Yakubu Abdulrazak made the appeal on Monday at Okume community during the distribution of food items to the habitants of the community displaced by the flood.

According to him, the appeal become necessary by the virtue of the damage done to the community by the flood where most houses and farmland were completely submerged in water.

“All the houses in the Okume community were completely submerged in water and most of the affected victims moved to the mountain as alternative shelter not minding the danger of wild animals that can easily harm them.

“In the next three months, the flood victims can not return back to their houses as the houses are still in the middle of the water. The victims were finding it difficult to feed as their farmland and crops have been destroyed by the flood disaster. The food items we distributed to them are far from enough because of the high numbers of people affected in the community.

“That is why we are passionately appealing to Kogi state government through the State Emergency Management Agency(SEMA) and spirited individuals and organizations to render assistance in the areas of provision of food items to the flood victims in Okume community to ease their suffering” he stated.

Speaking, the youth chairman of the community, Bala Abdullahi lamented that two months ago the community sent a letter of assistance for relocation and provision of relief materials to the Kogi state government via SEMA, stressing that till now there was no response.

He however re-appealed to the state government to come to their aid, saying the damage done to the community by the 2022 flood is enormous and requires external assistance to enable the victims to cushion the effect of the natural disaster.

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