Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole today called on the Federal Government to act fast and make judicious use of the National Ecological Fund in the management of flood disasters in the country.
The governor who made the call when the Director General, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Alhaji Sani Sidi paid a courtesy visit to Edo State to ascertain the level of damage done by the flooding incidents in Etsako Central, Etsako East and Esan South East Local Governments said the state government will collaborate with NEMA to provide a solution.
According to Oshiomhole, the situation in the flooded communities occasioned by the overflow of the River Niger is getting worse because more communities are affected and the water level is rising.
“We all appear completely helpless and the Federal Government ought to do more than they have done. The situation calls for a far more drastic response,” he noted.
According to him, the real challenge is for the Federal Government and not the states, adding that, “we are doing whatever we can at the level of Edo State Government to provide materials, deploying doctors and nurses to check the medical needs. We need to act fast because it is a national calamity.
The governor noted that there are long term implications as farm lands have been destroyed, domestic animals have been killed.
The NEMA DG commiserated with the government and people of Edo State on the losses, both in human and material resources incurred as a result of this ongoing catastrophe.
“Disaster occurrences and the number of people affected by them have risen significantly in recent years as a result of the impacts of climate change, and increased human activities. Similarly, economic losses from disasters, both natural and manmade have escalated,” he noted.
According to him, Nigeria is not immune to the negative impacts of these developments, the wide spread flooding incidents which occurred in 23 states of the federation in 2010 are a pointer to the growing intensity of climate related disasters.
“This phenomenon got even more intense last year and so far, this year, it has become very alarming as all rivers in the country have overflowed their banks and a large number of communities and local governments from Lokoja in Kogi through Etsako West in Edo State down to Biase in Cross River State are all presently under water and as the rainy season peaks, we must be vigilant for more flood incidents, because the weather has become unpredictable and extreme conditions like excessive rainfall, severe windstorm, heat wave and drought have become more frequent with adverse effects on the economy, environment, agricultural production and food security lives and livelihoods,” he added.
