1 year after, flood-ravaged Niger community awaits govt’s aid

Barely 12 months after the death of over 10 persons in Rafin-Sanyi area of Suleja, Niger State, due to flooding, the community has decried lack of government attention. In a chat with North Central Trust, the Village Head of Rafin-Sanyi, Mallam Zakari Madaki, said after the unfortunate incident on July 25, last year, the state […]

Barely 12 months after the death of over 10 persons in Rafin-Sanyi area of Suleja, Niger State, due to flooding, the community has decried lack of government attention.

In a chat with North Central Trust, the Village Head of Rafin-Sanyi, Mallam Zakari Madaki, said after the unfortunate incident on July 25, last year, the state government led by Governor Abubakar Sani Bello promised to put in place four culverts in the area.

However, he said one year after, no culvert has been built in the affected areas: Unguwar Polosa, Unguwar Sunday, Unity and Unguwar Gwari, adding that the situation has made it difficult for some members of the community to access their homes or go out whenever it rains.

Mallam Madaki also expressed worry about some of the deserted homes, saying, “Government marked the houses and ordered the owners to vacate. On our part we made sure no one was allowed to rebuild his home at the affected places. So it’s now left for the government to clear what remains of the buildings so that they would not be used as hideout for criminals.’’

North Central Trust also gathered that most of the people residing in the affected areas were tenants and have since relocated, while the landlords are not permitted to rebuild since the area is prone to flooding.

Some residents of the community interviewed by our reporter also called for the upgrading of their health centre to cater for the needs of the community.

There was no response from the state government on the issue, but a source within the Suleja local council authorities promised to forward a reminder to the state government in Minna, the state capital.