The latest dimension to the suffering and hardship experienced across the 32 states devastated by flood is the recent warning by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) that floating corpses found in the affected states pose a serious risk to public health.
The threat of water-borne diseases, such as diarrhoea, typhoid and cholera from contaminated wells and streams is as real as the hunger and homelessness that have befallen the victims since the calamity hit the country a fortnight ago.
Viewed in the context of the slow response by governments and their agencies to the plight of affected victims, the alarm from medical experts is worrisome.
The reason is that the incident may have happened in certain states, but the impact of the after-effect could be nationwide if left unattended to. Water-borne diseases as mentioned would certainly not be limited to the victims but their compatriots in far-flung communities because of their contagious nature.
Figures released by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), show “ that over 600 lives have been lost; over 2,400 persons injured; about 1,302,589 persons have been displaced; over 2.5 million persons have been affected, one way or another; about 332,327 hectares of farmlands have been totally destroyed; 82,052 houses partially damaged; 121,318 houses totally destroyed beyond repair; property worth several hundred million damaged, while many people have been cut off from trade and food supply due to a lack of access to their communities.”
Although flooding of alarming proportions hit the country in 2012, the scale and dimension of the current incident is certainly the first in the country’s flooding history. That time, the government responded adequately by setting up a corporate group-led body headed by Chairman of Dangote Group of companies, Aliko Dangote. Government agencies and other responders were well motivated and supported to raise funds, provide relief materials and resettle the victims.
This year, the response from many states and the Federal Government has been shoddy. This is not time for engaging in blame games as the central government and the states are currently doing over the status and use of ecological funds drawn by most states for caring for natural events like flooding.
The point is that the flooding caught most states and the Federal Government unaware because lessons had remained unlearnt from previous experiences, even when prodded by forecast by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NMA) since February 2022 and subsequently with monthly reminders.
Even so, we call on the central and state governments to be more proactive in responding to issues that affect the lives and livelihood of their citizens. Heading the weather forecast and responding to it quickly by aiding the people in flood- prone areas to relocate to safer grounds until trouble goes away is part of their constitutional duty to secure the people and provide for their welfare.
Preventive measures to protect the environment, control flooding on the river Niger and Benue basin should be pursued vigorously. The Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, which was also a source of flooding following release of its water, should be looked into.
Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, said the authorities in the Central African country failed to inform Nigeria when they were about to open the dam because the MoU between both countries was weak. This lacuna should be tidied up before another occurrence.
He also promised to expedite action on the abandoned dams on Adamawa, which is drained by the rivers Benue and its tributaries including the rivers Gongola, Taraba and Pai.
It is glad to note that international donour agencies, the United Nations, the United States of America and the United Kingdom have joined hands with the Federal Government to bring succour to the victims through monetary donations and the provision of humanitarian services.
Back home, we note the personal and private contributions being made towards bringing relief to victims. More is needed. We call on others to imitate Caritas Nigeria, an NGO of the Catholic Church, which launched an appeal fund for the victims, the Akwa Ibom State Government which has donated the sum of N100 million to victims in Bayelsa, the presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP), who have donated cash and others which have launched appeal fund for the victim of the flood.
In conclusion, we implore the citizens to imbibe the spirit of volunteerism.
Emergencies should not be left to government alone to handle. There is a need to help spread messages of repeated weather forecasts and the likelihood of impending doom in flood-prone neighbourhoods, particularly in the rural areas.
About the Author
