Bayelsa flood overwhelming, we need help, says Diri

By Amos Okioma

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has said the flooding in the state was overwhelming and beyond what the government alone can handle.

The governor has, consequently, appealed for assistance from the federal government, local and international organisations as well as public-spirited individuals.

He made the appeal in a statewide radio and television broadcast on Tuesday.

According to him, the current flood has severely impacted lives and livelihoods, with nearly a million people in over 300 communities displaced and some deaths reported.

He stated that he had toured several of the ravaged communities and seen first-hand the extent of the destruction.

He said: “Over the last few days, floods have overwhelmed our communities and severely impacted the lives and livelihood of our people. This is a natural disaster that has affected many other states of the federation to various degrees.

“I have toured several of our communities to see first-hand the extent of destruction. Our experience has shown that the flood water empties into our state.

“From my personal assessment, the situation is dire. Nearly a million people in over 300 communities in the state have been internally displaced. Unfortunately, some deaths have been reported.

“The narrative is the same across Sagbama, Ekeremor, Southern Ijaw, Ogbia, Yenagoa, Nembe and Kolokuma Opokuma Local Government Areas. Businesses have been shut, properties lost and farm lands destroyed.

“Critical infrastructure like hospitals, roads, bridges and schools, including the state-owned Niger Delta University, Amassoma, the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, and the University of Africa, Toru-Orua, have been severely affected.

“Without exaggeration, the sheer scale of the devastation is not such that the state can handle on its own. We urgently solicit the support of multinationals, international donor agencies, the Red Cross, diplomatic missions and people of goodwill to come to the aid of our state.

“I appeal to Mr. President to consider special grants to the state from the Stabilization Funds, Ecological Funds and Natural Resources Fund.”

Diri lamented that the state had been severed from the rest of the country as portions of the East-West Road, which is the sole access to and from the state between Ughelli and Patani in Delta State as well as Okogbe and Ahoada in Rivers State, have collapsed.

He said economic hardship had set in as food, medical provisions, electricity and fuel supply were now in short supply and getting worse by the day.

The state helmsman, however, thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for directing the different rescue and disaster management agencies to assist the state, and urged them to comply with the presidential directive expeditiously.

The governor announced that all civil servants, except those on essential duties, proceed on a one week break from work even as he appealed to vendors, particularly of fuel, food, water and pharmaceuticals not to exploit the situation.

He also stated that the state’s Task Force on Flood Mitigation and Management in liaison with the State Emergency Management Agency had established internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and providing relief materials and medical supplies for victims of the flood.

Diri cautioned officials in charge of the distribution of the relief materials to be non-partisan as the disaster knew no political party.

Meanwhile, there has been call on State Government to Involve CSOs in palliative distribution process to ensure transparency and accountability

An Environmental Rights Activist, Comrade Morris Alagoa who made the call urged the Bayelsa State Government to enlarge its dragnets of extending the flood palliatives distribution beyond political considerations to include Civil Society Organizations and Media Organisations and Unions, whose personnel are also heavily impacted by the monster floods ravaging local communities in the Niger Delta, including the state capital, Yenagoa.

Comrade Alagoa made this appeal in Yenagoa, in a viral video on his Social Media handle calling on the Bayelsa State Government to declare a two-week public holidays for civil servants to enable most of them affected by the ravaging floods to have some respite with their families as most have relocated or temporarily harbouring in make-shift settlements as Flood Displaced Persons (FDPs) across the state.

“As you can see, this is the first time I am experiencing flood since 2012 when the first occurred a decade ago, at this magnitude. It’s a monster flood and my apartment and office are flooded. My family is going through the most terrible times of our lives.

“We understand that the Bayelsa State Government has released some flood palliatives for affected persons. But politicians are using same to swell their egos.However, I feel it would have been better if credible Civil Society groups, whether wholly Ijaw or not; should serve with SEMA as Volunteers to distribute the items or funds and report back to the Government.

“I am therefore calling on Governor Diri to know that beyond political considerations, there are Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and other Faith Based Organisations (FBOs) as well as media Organisations and Unions such as the NUJ, who are all working to raise awareness on the plight of affected flood victims and as such (we in these sectors) deserve the special flood palliative too, to cushion the impact of the flood on our families as most of us in these foregoing categories, who are not political affiliated to the ruling party, should also be involved.

“We are therefore calling on Senator Diri to involve these Special groups -CSOs, FBOs and Media Unions and Organisations – also impacted by the flood in the distribution to entrench transparency accountability and confidence of the masses in the process.” Alagoa concluded.

While berating the sharing formulae by the flood Community, Comrade Alagoa called on the state government to look beyond Political affiliations and involve CSOs who are more reliable and transparent to reach out to the needy and impacted food victim’s rather than politicians who might have vested interests as not all victims belong to Political parties.

It would be recalled that Governor Diri had earlier within the week announced the release of N450 Million for Flood victims through the Commissioner for Environment, Eselema Gbaranbiri-led Flood Committee which has been adduced to be slow in mitigating the impacts of the flood on victims and homes and FDP camps that are still not officially designated.

Most families have taken over public school buildings an uncompleted property in the state capital for want of the state government official declaration for an IDP camp that is not in sight.

In the time past there have been diversion and corruption in distribution of relief materials by government agencies, believing this government will make the difference.