A Commissioner in the Rivers State Local Government Service Commission, Chief (Hon.) Mbadiwe Allen Ewoh has decried the recent massive unprecedented flood that ravaged some parts of Rivers State, especially, in the Ahoada Axis; saying such natural disaster could make one to cry, especially when one is helpless and incapacitated to proffer a lasting solution to the ugly incident.
Hon Mbadiwe, who hails from Ahoada West Local Government Area of the state, noted that since he was born he has never seen such an unfriendly natural disaster in his area. “I am close to 49 years old, but since I was born, I have never seen such an unfriendly phenomenon called flood, where all the buildings are submerged by flood, and all the farm lands destroyed; if it is a punishment, I do not know where it comes from, but I pray that such a phenomenal disaster should not happen again”.
Speaking to our correspondent in his office in Port Harcourt recently, Hon. Ewoh, said it was difficult to adequately compensate the people over their losses, because, most of them, would never recover from the calamity till they die.
According to him, when he first saw the level of the flood in his Community, he nearly collapsed, because it was beyond description, enormous and unprecedented in nature, “honestly, I sympathize with my people and pray that God will console them”.
“Imagine my house in the village has been over taken by flood, and the fence broken and fell flat, while my people move about in canoe, the situation is unimaginable, yet, Federal Government delegates on flood disaster came to Rivers state, and after assessing the disaster, placed the state on grade C, which was far below Bayelsa and Kogi States, who were respectively placed on grade A. By the way, why should we be on grade C; while the quantum of destruction here was of the same magnitude with that of Bayelsa and Kogi States.
How did the assessment officers arrived at placing us on grade C?
Honestly, the assessment was faulty, and should be disregarded by Federal government and it’s agents. Rivers State shares common boundary with Bayelsa state and whatever affects Bayelsa state, affects Rivers State as well.
Imagine, ONELGA as a Local Government is gone, Ahoada West is gone, Ahoada East is finished, Abua/Odual is ravaged and reduced to nothing, and all the operating oil companies in the environment ceased operations due to the flood, yet federal government delegates on flood assessment, said we deserve grade C. The whole process of assessment should be revisited for justice to reign.
He then called on both the Federal and State governments to urgently erect a temporarly Camp for settlement by the affected communities, while consistent relief materials being provided for them saying, if it was in advanced countries, the federal government would have stepped into the ugly situation from Day one and alleviate the situation.
‘I use this opportunity to thanked the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who, without waste of time, visited the affected communities immediately the incident happened and provided emergency Relief materials including food, but was a bit disappointed that federal government did not follow the step of the state government when the incident occurred”. ###
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