Expected flood: Can Wada make a difference?

The question now is what measures states affected by last year’s flood are putting in place to avoid being caught unawares by the impending disaster.The flood affected states didn’t  prepare much last year but claimed they were caught unaware, while the relief fund collected on behalf of the victims were said to have been mismanaged, […]

The question now is what measures states affected by last year’s flood are putting in place to avoid being caught unawares by the impending disaster.
The flood affected states didn’t  prepare much last year but claimed they were caught unaware, while the relief fund collected on behalf of the victims were said to have been mismanaged, leaving the people to suffer untold hardship at the relief camps and after leaving camps.
Kogi State is one the states that were worse hit by flood last year, with nine local governments, namely, Kogi, Kotonkarfe, Bassa, Ajaokuta, Ofu, Idah, Omala, Igalamela and Ibaji badly affected.
The people of the state suffered a lot because the government, many believe, failed to heed to NIMET warning. But with another warning again, Governor Idris Wada said the state would not leave anything to chance and has commenced early preparation that would cushion its effect on the people.
Over 660,000 people were displaced, with over 6,000 houses washed away while property worth over N40 billion were destroyed by the flood.
About 82 camps mostly primary and secondary schools without infrastructure were set up across the state to accommodate the increasing volume of people displaced by the flood.
Meanwhile,  over N1 billion was received as donations from the  federal government, individuals as well as organizations on behalf of the victims, but at the end, after leaving the camps, most of the victims only received between N3,000 and N4,000, which the victims claimed was not enough for their feeding and repairing their houses destroyed by the flood.
By and large, the state government has commenced a housing scheme for flood victims in Lokoja which would be commissioned in four weeks time, before the expected flood.
The governor, while flagging off the 274 housing project in Lokoja,  said the government intends to build more houses for the displaced people in Lokoja as well as all the nine flood affected local governments of the state.
According to him, the houses would enable the government to relocate those living in flood prone areas in the state, saying that the number of houses to be built in the state would be commensurate to the number of people affected by last year’s flood.
Governor Wada who said that the project which would be completed in four months would accommodate about 272 families out of the flood prone area, warned the contractors not to default on the handing over date so as to continue to enjoy government’s patronage.
Wada pointed out that the project was in line with his administration’s commitment to the welfare and safety of the people.
The governor said the 272 housing units, comprising of two bedroom and one bedroom bungalows, were awarded at the cost of N664 million to about 105 contractors so as to ensure that the  houses  are completed within the stipulated four months’ period.
Aside the houses, the government says it will procure some boats and sea vessels for rescue operations.
The governor who disclosed this through his deputy, Yomi Awoniyi, recently when he received  the Assistant Director, Maritime Safety and Nautical Survey of the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Capt. Kunle Olagunle Olayiwola, said it was part of the government’s  preparation not to be caught unawares by any flood this year as predicted by Nigerian Metrological Agency
The purchase, according to the governor, was to avoid the self help approach made by some boat owners to move people out of flooded area during last year’s incident.
He disclosed that the state has established a Maritime Safety Committee on the advice of the Nigerian Navy, promising to support policies and programmes of NIMASA on safety regulation.
He however said the state government will prune its 87 camps to 14 if eventually the flood comes so as to ensure better emergency management in all the camps.
The deputy governor who is also the chairman emergency relief committee of the state, said the  camps  would be well equipped with schools,water and improved sanitary condition, adding that the camp was pruned down to ensure effective management of camps.
He noted that the state has learnt important lessons on emergency management from last year’s flood, adding  that the human capacity in the State Emergency Management Agency has since been enhanced through capacity training to handle any natural disaster the state may witness.
According to him, people are very attached to where they lived which made it difficult for them to move from flood prone areas to high ground despite government’s warning.
The state preparation recently received a boost as  the United Nations  assured of her technical expertise that would help the state manage future flooding and other emergencies.
The United Nations Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, Ms. Valerie Amos, also gave assurance in Lokoja while on a working visit to flood affected states in Nigeria, saying as part of the United Nation’s assistance to flood affected states in the world, the body will provide technical capacity that would help them to generate resources to manage flood.
According to her, the technical expertise to be provided will include building and managing displaced persons camps for future floods.
Ms. Amos described last year’s flood that devastated nine local governments in the state as unfortunate, saying her visit is to seek ways of granting technical assistance to the state to help rebuild lives and damaged infrastructures.
Ms Amos described water as life but said the 2012 flood was a threat, occasioned by the impact of climate change, and called for better ways for the UN to improve early warning preparation and response to future flood disasters.
The UN assured of partnership with the federal and state governments to bring differences in the lives of the people whose means of livelihood and houses were affected by the flood.
Also, the Acting Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency said the state has carried out enough awareness through sensitization campaigns across the state, especially the nine affected local governments to educate the residents on actions to be taken in the event of flood.
He said the agency was properly equipped with the rudiments of emergency management to be able to handle disaster effectively, saying that with the United Nations coming to assist the state with technical expertise, the effect of flood would not be much.