Reps ask FG to declare state of emergency on ravaging flood nationwide

Members of the House of Representatives, on Wednesday, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency on the ravaging flood which affected over 1 million Nigerians and death of innocent citizens as well as food security.

While expressing concern over the impacts of the recent flood in Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta/Oru Federal Constituency of Imo State, Hon Uju Kingsley Chima disclosed that about 80,000 people were affected so far while some infrastructure including roads were washed away by the flood.

Meanwhile, the House resolved to adjourn plenary activities till November 15, 2022, to commence the 2023 budget defence of various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

Hon. Chima who doubles as Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Public Procurement, who underscored the need to declare a state of emergency on the ravaging flood, observed that the House will not hesitate to give accelerated consideration to executive communication for funding of such emergency.

He said: “With all fairness, my place is almost in trouble now. The greater percentage of my 2 Local Governments have been submerged by flood and several residents, settlements, homes, farms have been chased away by flood. The last time we had this type of flood should be in 2012.

“We never had it this bad where the flood has even cut off the road entering River State to Imo State, precisely the Ibocha bridge which has been taken over by the flood.

“This afternoon we just got an information that the water has crossed Abacheke road,” adding that the whole of Epoma (Ogada) has been chased away, leaving several communities and settlements across the shoreline of Omachi river submerged by the flood.

While affirming that the level of socio-economic damages caused by the flood is enormous to his Constituents who are natively agrarians, Hon Chima maintained that the level of damages cannot be quantified financially.

“As I talk to you this afternoon, so many farms have been consumed completely, not just water but ocean has ceded most of these farms into their occupation. Considering the loss, the damage, the effect both on the GDP of my people and above all the hardship that this will actually bring to the people, I am using this medium to call on the Federal Government, the State Government to come to the rescue of my people to see how they can help my people.

“We cannot fold our hands and watch our people die because of flood; I know very well that we spend so much money to curb insecurity, we spend so much money to attend to other emergencies, but this one is an emergency with a difference. This one you are not running with any of your belongings and running away leaving your belongings, things you suffered over years to acquire,” he lamented.

While stressing the need to find lasting solutions to the recurring cases of flooding across the country, he urged Federal Government to re-channel into the Atlantic Ocean whenever the Dam is going to be opened by the neighbouring countries, adding that “the moment you know you want to open the dam, you don’t allow other people from other areas to be at the receiving end.

“For the fact you know that the dam is going to be opened and the water will overflow, you find a way; as we are opening, another channel is taking up the excess water and that will empty straight into the Atlantic Ocean or any Ocean within the locality and that will out a stop to every year crisis. We know from August we begin to experience flooding to January., losing a lot of properties to flood.”

Also at plenary, the House during the plenary session, expressed grave concerns over the devastating effects of flooding across 275 Local Government Areas across the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The motion was sponsored by Hon Abubakar Fulata, Hon David Zacharia, Hon. Johnson Oghumma, Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai, Hon Lawan Shettima, Hon Tijani Zakariya, Hon Khadija Ibrahim, Hon. Ibrahim Umar, Hon Abubakar Idris, Hon Babajimi Benson, Hon Zakariya’u Galadima and Hon. Sergius Ogun.

In his lead debate, Hon Fulata observed that flooding is the most common disaster in Nigeria as several communities increasingly suffer from annual flooding during the rainy seasons caused by increased precipitation linked to human, natural causes and climate change.

“The House is aware of this years’ ravaging effect of flood disasters across the country on the socio-economic well-being of the people, families and communities.

“The House recalls that the 2020 annual flood outlook released by the Nigeria Hydrological Survey Agency (NIHSA) indicated that 102 Local Government Areas in over 28 States were reported to be at risk of flooding.

“The House also recalls that States listed in the survey included Rivers, Cross River, Delta, Lagos, Ondo, Bayelsa, Sokoto, Kogi, Niger, Kaduna, Katsina, Gombe, Adamawa, Benue, FCT, Nasarawa, Delta, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Edo, Abia, Anambra, Imo, Borno, Kano and Kebbi.

“The House further recalls that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) also asserted that 275 Local Government Areas across the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory fall within the moderately probable flood risk areas, while the remaining 397 Local Government Areas fall within the low probable flood risk areas.

“The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) further indicated that States likely to be affected are Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue, Niger, Kogi, Enugu and Anambra. The rest include Imo, Abia, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Osun, Kwara, Zamfara, Sokoto, Lagos, Ondo, Bayelsa, Kaduna, Oyo, Ogun, Abia, Kano, Kebbi and the FCT.

The House mandated the management of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other related institutions to immediately provide relief materials and drugs for the inhabitants of Lokoja in Kogi State; 3 Local Government Areas that make up Ndokwa/Ukwuani Federal Constituency of Delta State; Wase Local Government Federal Constituency of Plateau State;

The House also urged Ecological Fund Office to provide funds for the construction of shoreline protection lives in all the Local Government Areas and communities in the affected States.

To this end, the House mandated the joint Committees on Environment and Habitat to visit the affected communities and recommend measures to avoid future occurrences of floods in the affected Communities and report back within six weeks for further legislative action.

In the same vein, the House mandated its Committees on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness to interface with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to take urgent steps to address the disaster in the Local Government Areas and ensure compliance.

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