A former Rivers State Commissioner for Economic Development in Chief Melford Okilo administration, Dr. Monday Perri Okonny, has attributed the flood that ravaged Rivers and Bayelsa States to lack of environmental technology.
Dr. Okonny made the statement while chatting with journalists at Abua Odua Local Government Area of Rivers State, shortly after he presented relief materials worth over three million naira to flood victims.
Dr. Okonny noted that Rivers and Bayelsa state are located in a flood prone area and have no technology to prevent flood that affected the communities in the areas, stressing that if there were dams built before now, it could have prevented the flood.
Dr. Okonny, who was a former lecturer at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, donated various relief materials such as wrappers, mosquito nets, cooking stoves, buckets, wash hand basins, kettles, clothes, drinking cups, among others. He said he was touched when he heard that the flood had rendered his people homeless, hence he decided to come and sympathize with them with relief materials.
The former member of Rivers State House of Assembly (RSHA) said he would extend the gesture to other flood victims in the state.
Dr. Okonny, who lamented that the flood had destroyed all the crops in their farm lands, called on the federal and state governments to come to the aid of the victims by building structures that would alleviate their accommodation problems.
In their separate responses, leaders of the camps such as Chief Victor Wariboko, Chief Odogo George, Mr. A.D Kolobo and Love Abin, who spoke on behalf of the flood victims, expressed their profound gratitude to Dr. Okonny for his kind gesture and assured him of the judicious use of relief the materials.
The camps visited include Okolomade, Anyu Adado, Akani, Adau, Emiriboko Obelu, Emelegu, Amuruto Kumbe camps. ####
Emeka Jilly Ejiowhor
