By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja.
A victim of the ongoing flood in Lokoja and its environs in kogi state,Mr Samson Abah, has urged Kogi State Governnent to allocate virgin land, elsewhere, to flood victims to build their houses as part of lasting solution to perennial flood in the state.
Aba,a resident of Gadumo, one of the affected areas touched by flood in Lokoja and who claimed to have had two of his houses destroyed by flood, gave the advice in an interview with the Correspondent of The Reporters on Wednesday.
The victims speaks further
Aba,who traced the history of the perennial flood in Lokoja to 2019, debunked the notion that all the victims of the flood in Lokoja bought their land close to the river.
He said himself and some of his neighbour bought the land they built their houses at a hill side, noting that due to climate change, the river widened and changed such portion of land to water locked.
“We did not buy land in water side,we bought the land as a hill side.
“Since we built our houses many years ago, we did not experience flood but as from 2012, the water widens and finds its way to many places.
According to him, it is not enough for governnent telling those living close the river side to leave such areas to safer places, adding that there must be a delibrate land policy, designed to ensure that governnent allocates land to invididuals to start building residential houses far from the river bank.
Abah expressed optimism that such a policy would put pay to annual problem facing people whose places of abode are now close to the river, and reduce governnent financial burden of caring for victims of flood victims every year.
Meanwhile, pupils of LGEA in Gadumo new layout could not attend classes on Wednesday as some of their class rooms have been occupied by some victims of flood.
Premises of LGEA primary school,Gadumo.
However, our Correspondent who visited the Gadumo side of the flood at about 2.30 p.m on Wednesday, observed that there was slow pace of surge in the flood movement of flood.
Abah, who hails from Ibaji, one of the local government areas in the state badly hit by flood, said that most part of the local government had been taken over by flood.
He called on spirited individuals,NGOs and government to come to the aide of the people of the area to ease the effect of the natural disaster in the area.
In a telephone interview with our Correspondent, a labour leader in the state, Comrade Opaluwa Eleojo, called on the state government to revisit the issue of Wada bye pass as a way of providing meaningful to solution to flood problem in the state.
“Once that is done,it gives the flood problem a permanent solution.
“Flooding is a natural thing you cannot prevent, but when you make alternative route as far as human and vehicular movement is concerned, then you have to a large extent averted the suffering of the people,” he stressed.
Meanwhile,the District Head of Itobe in Ofu Local Government Area of the State, Alhaji Saliu Adaji,has called on government, Corporate bodies and stakeholders to support victims of flood.
Alhaji Saliu made the call during an inspection visit to the flood victims and affected areas in the district.
He expressed concern ove how flood had submarged farm lands and rendered his subjects homeless.
The district head called on Government and well to individuals to come to the aid of his people.
According to him the flood has affected almost every part of Itobe district, particularly Olukudu, Ganamazu, Kabawa, and Labrafu both in the district.
The district head reiterated his commitment to the people of Itobe district.
