The Bayelsa State Government has called on the Federal Government to take flood mitigation and control seriously in states that are expected to be affected by floods this year, as predicted by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency.
The state’s Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, expressed concern that the Federal Government and its agencies seemed unconcerned about the plight of people living in flood-prone areas, and that they have not learned from the devastating floods of 2012 and 2022.
Describing the lackadaisical approach of the Federal Government as worrisome, Ewhrudjakpo maintained that the country appeared not to have learnt any lessons from the 2012 and 2022 devastating floods that ravaged many communities, killing a lot of the residents of the affected areas and also destroying their property.
The Bayelsa deputy governor who taunted the government for being only good at issuing flood alerts, said depending on international agencies for foreign aids at all times was not only demeaning but also anti-development, and therefore, called on all relevant stakeholders to proffer sustainable homegrown solutions to the problem of flooding, which is fast assuming a perennial dimension.
Ewhrudjakpo said, “The response from the Federal Government as far as we are concerned has not risen to the level that will convince us that they took what happened in Bayelsa State seriously.
“We are aware that immediately after the flood, about N800bn was requested from the National Assembly for emergency maintenance of roads, infrastructure and other facilities that were badly affected.
“Until now, the Port Harcourt to Warri section of the East West road, which I traveled through recently, is still very bad and the same Federal Government, as usual, is only predicting that this year’s flood would be worst than last year.
“We are not persuaded at all by the reaction of the Federal Government, and I am directing this to NEMA; we do not think that your fire brigade approach has changed anything.
“We must make concerted effort. The President gave ninety days ultimatum to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to come out with plans to see how we can mitigate and avoid a repeat of what happened in 2012. But as far as I know, that issue is still in the pipeline.”
He made the call when a delegation from the International Organisation for Migration, United States Agency for International Development, and the National Emergency Management Agency visited the Government House in Yenagoa.
