Floods: Make strategic plans to protect residents, FG, Bayelsa govt urged 

Bayelsa State Government, Federal Government and relevant stakeholders have been urged to make adequate plans on time to ensure that residents are evacuated from the flood prone areas as another heavy flood comes in a few months’ time.

These topics formed the discussion in Yenagoa within the weekend during a three days stakeholders meeting with the topic strengthening environmental potency and accountability in governance facilitated by stakeholders democracy network (SDN).

Among other issues discussed were the issue of transportation and the abandoned cardiovascular specialist hospital located around Okolibiri area of the state.

Speaking on the negative effects of last year’s flooding, Emmanuel Egede, the community development chairman of Otuoke enumerated the problems that last year’s flood came with, including loss of lives and properties, high rate of crimes, destruction of farm lands, high cost of living, poor health condition among others.

While he made some suggestions as another flood rolls in in a few months’ time like the opening of canals, building of IDP camps, construction of dikes and seawalls, early provision of relief materials among others, he also added that “The government should not share relief materials after when the flood is almost over.

Also another community stakeholder, Membra Tariworio Nelson, who spoke on the negative effects of transportation in the state stated that the problem of transportation system causes increase in goods and services, high cost of living, poor regulation of transportation system among others.

While he gave solutions to the problems such as provision of a functional transportation system by the government, effective management of Bayelsa state transport system under public private partnership engagement, price regulation among others.

Yet another stakeholder Tolumona Mascon Engedefa speaking on the negative effects of the abandoned cardiovascular specialist hospital at Okolobiri stated that the absence of the hospital has led to some untimely deaths for people living with cardiovascular disease, high cost of medical experiences, increase in unemployment into the health sector, loss of revenue.

While he said that the government should do well to revitalize the hospital to enable it generate employment and reduce deaths associated with cardiovascular problems stating that it will also generate revenue to the state.

Speaking earlier, Flora Esiere senior project officer, stakeholders democracy network (SDN) said that they were to implement a development project in Bayelsa across six local governments adding that SDN was working with forty six communities in the state.

She said that SDN has set up community based groups that represent the totality of the communities and for this particular activity, SDN will be working closely with civil society organizations and journalists to amplify policy related issues in the state.

She said that SDN was aiming at development projects that are going to bring succor and address main issues that Bayelasans are facing.

Esiere said “This is going to be on a quarterly basis. We will be meeting and updating the public on our progress with the help of the journalists.

Christiana Ibinabo Idasefiema, the project officer of SDN in her own submission said that the project is geared towards working with community members and journalists for a better outcome.

“For the past three days, we have been teaching them what to do. They are now going home with new knowledge on advocacy engagement especially as regards to working with government officials.

“What we are doing differently on flood is to see how community people can come together to see how they can engage the government differently on how to proffer solutions to it. It also affects the government not only the community people so when we engage them, we can be able to know the policies they have put on ground to that effect.

“It is not going to be business as usual, we need to talk about these issues. If the result is not going to come from the state government, it should come from the federal government.

Speaking on behalf of youth renascence and development initiative (YORDI) , an NGO working with SDN at the local level , Kemi Opia said the project members have representatives from communities across the LGAs that can represent the developmental aspect of the people.

“The people have identified the impact of flooding in our communities, especially coastal communities. The issues are about government coming up with intervention strategies and specific mechanisms that have been put in place to address the problems of flooding in Bayelsa.

“We recommended that government should holistically look at addressing the issues of transportation. We also talked about abandoned projects and one of them is the abandoned cardiovascular specialist hospital located somewhere in Okolobiri. That project if revisited and properly implemented will make life easy.

“It will reduce medical bills. Morbidity and mortality rate and creating employment among others. So more needs to be done by government. In as much we appreciate the little it has done.”

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