*GNID Tells Reps: Talk with UN Agencies As they List Anambra, Benue, Delta...
By Gbenga Abulude (Politics and General Desk)
A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Nicholas Ossai on Wednesday disclosed more than 150 households have been displaced by flooding which has ravaged communities in Delta State.
Hon Ossai who expressed disappointment that almost 90% of Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta has been submerged by the floods, urged the House to intervene by directing the Ecological Fund Office to conduct an environmental survey, with a view to addressing the excessive flooding in the affected communities.
Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, the lawmaker representing Ndokwa/Ukwuani Federal Constituency in Delta State, noted that the communities from his constituency are often prone to severe environmental disaster as a result of constant coastal flooding and erosion from the River Niger.
He said, “Since the past two weeks, the Ndokwa-East communities of Delta State have been bedevilled by constant and frightening downpour, being accompanied by excessive flooding and erosion that is seriously and presently wreaking havoc in the communities.
“This unprecedented heavy downpour has aggravated the already existing and saturated wetland of the communities, which is occasioned by repeated ocean surges due to perennial flooding.
“The affected communities are Ossissa, Onyah, Ase, Ushie, Ibedeni; Asagba, Aballa-Uno, Agballa-Obodo, AgballaOshimili, Uchi, Okpai, Onuaboh, Inyi, Benekuku, Aboh, Onyah, Asaba-Ase, Ibrede, Ashaka, Afor, Abalagáda, Umuolu, Igbuku, Obettim, Obodo-Okolafa, Iyadama,0nuogboko, UtagbaOgbe, Utagba-Uno, Ogume, Onitsha-Ukwuani, Akarri, Umuolu, just to mention a few.
“Schools, farmlands, health centres, places of worship have seriously been affected and over 150 households have been rendered homeless, particularly children and women, and more are still being affected daily.
“About 90 per cent of the communities in the entire Ndokwa East LGA has been submerged, and worse still is the deplorable economic conditions of the peasant farmers in these agrarian communities.”
Ossai also urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to urgently provide relief materials for the flood victims in accordance with Section 6 (j) of NEMA Act.
Meanwhile, development experts under the auspices of Global Network for International Development, urged the legislator to reach out to both his State government, and United Nations agencies, stressing that three states have been determined since 2013 as deserving of UN’s OCHA funding and technical capability support.
GNID said the states are Delta, Anambra and Benue state which the United Nations Agency (OCHA), Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs- determined since seven years ago as deserving of support to tackle problems of flooding and related matters.
” The tragedy these days is that officials don’t follow up and follow through on policies, programmes and dynamics. Let the Honourable open an engagement session with UN agency, OCHA and his state government, to ascertain the status of that determination for the three states listed above, namely, Delta, Anambra and Benue”, GNID stated.
The GNID stated that while NEMA would be undertaking its task, the legislator could also rev up the needed support from OCHA for a more robust sustained institutional support.
