By Dada Ahmed.
Until 10 years ago, residents of Kogi state,a geo-political expression in North Central Nigeria, created on August 27,1991 and popularly called the “confluence state”,believed in the popular saying that “water has no enemy” and that “water is life”.
But unfortunately, not anymore, given the magnitude of flooding in the state of recent. In shot, lives are being lost, hundreds of farmlands and houses destroyed, thousands of people rendered homeless and thrown into unimaginable life of misery by the 2022 flooding, christened as a “Ravaging Monster.”
One of the victims of the flood in Ichekene in Idah Local Governnent Area of kogi state,Nifu Wada lamenting as his house caved in for flood.
Kogi state earns the unique nomenclature of a “confluence State” because it is the only state in Nigerian written history where River Niger and Benue of different sources meet and flow as one, as in Christian marriage where the union of man and woman becomes one: spiritual union.
The belief of the people about the importance of water to man was reinforced by the late Fela Anikulapokuti, the African musical legend and an illustrious son of Nigeria about 40 years in one of his hit songs, “water eno get enemy”.
In the song,Fela,the “Abami Eda” (the weird), itemised the Importance of water to man to include, aiding him in cooking, barthing and serving as a means of transportation among other basic necessities of man.
Fela’s song finds ally in health experts who proved water as carrier of nutrients and oxygen to the cells, lushes bacteria from bladder, aiding digestion, preventing constipation, normalizing blood pressure, cushioning joints, protecting organs and tissues and regulating body temperature, through years of research.
Stakeholders in entertainment industry assert that Fela could not have minced words in saying that water remains man’s best friend but failed to add that being one of the natural disasters, the precious commodity could also be man’s worse enemy in the process of symbiotic relationship between man and nature.
This is the fate of thousands of residents of kogi state recently hit by the return of a more devasting flood in ten years.
The question on the lips of many residents in the state is, why the 2022 flood in kogi state? Which ever pendulum the answer dangles, the fact that Nigerians have been warned of the disaster lurking to harvest victims.
Basically, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) have been stressing the fact that the 2022 floods are considerably heavier than usual preparing all and sundry on the need for more coordinated action in various public fora.
Secondly, according to media report, the authorities in Cameron decided to open water from Lagdo dam, coupled with release of water from Kainji and Shiroro dams, the large quantity of which passed through River Niger enroute Lokoja to other parts of the world.
In all this, the victims are made to face the sad reality of flood, most of who have been sorrowing and borrowing in temporary accommodation, courtesy of relations, friends and other Nigerians of “milk of human kindness”.
Media reports indicate that no fewer than six persons had so far lost their lives in the course of flood at the time of this piece
Four members of a family, sacked by flood from their house and took refuge in a friend’s house in Adankolo in Lokoja,were admitted at the Federal Medical Centre FMC Lokoja, as a result of high degree of burn they sustained when trying to ignite gas to prepare food for consumption.
Sources said with troubled mind, one of the victims, unknown to her that she did not lock the cylinder very well, lit the equipment and within a minute, the gas exploded and the whole house went in flame resulting in four members sustaining high degree burns
This is in addition to two corpses recovered from River Niger at Ganaja on Monday, Oct 3, when the boat they were being ferried across flooded Ganaja area to continue their journey to Ajaokuta capsized.
Concerned members of the public noted that with the magnitude of the 2022 flood in nine local government areas of the state, particularly in Ibaji, the worse hit, all cannot be said to be rosy for the people of kogi state.
The Ibaji Unity Forum (IUF), an umbrella body for people of Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi, has appealed to the Federal and State Governments for urgent intervention to ameliorate the peoples’ suffering emanated from flooding.
The President of IUF, Barr. Stephen Uchola, made the appeal on Tuesday after he led officials of the organisation to visit some affected communities in Ibaji.
He urged the Federal and Kogi Governments to urgently take necessary steps to rescue thousands of people trapped in different communities in the area due to the ravaging flood disaster.
He said that since the outbreak of the devastating flood that submerged the entire local government area and rendered the residents homeless, there had not been any assistance from the government and its agencies for the victims.
Uchola expressed fear that many of the victims were in danger of losing their lives as they were sick without drugs, food and shelter.
He added that many had remained trapped in their communities as all the roads in the local government had been taken over by the flooding.
“What we saw at various places we visited has necessitated this urgent call on the various arms of government, non-governmental organizations, philanthropists and donor agencies to come to the aid of the victims.
”They have lost everything to the flood and are battling to survive the disaster.
“We visited some communities on Monday and Tuesday, and will continue on Wednesday to cover the entire ten wards in Ibaji LGA.
According to him, all the ten wards which include: Onyedega, Iyano, Ujeh, Ayah, Ojila, Odeke, Akpanyo, Unale, Ejule and Analo have been devastated by flood.
He added: ”Dangerous reptiles have taken over the flooded houses and it’s dangerous.
“Six deaths have been reported so far.
”At Aniocha in Ojila Ward, a 3-year-old child fell into the river and died. The casualty figure is low because many of our people can swim.
“As we speak, thousands of them, including the children are sick, stranded and eager to leave the area but they cannot do so because the volunteers using wooden boats to evacuate them can’t do much.
”Having lost their source of livelihood they are now helpless and praying for relief assistance especially food, drugs, clothing and shelter.
”If these are not provided urgently, from what we experienced, many will not survive this harsh condition.
“Unfortunately, those already evacuated to Idah town and some neighbouring states are also suffering and are finding it difficult to cope with some of them wearing one dress since they were rescued from their flooded communities some days back.
”Many of them have no place to sleep. Their condition is very pathetic and they are crying for help”.
He, therefore called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Kogi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), to urgently intervene and evacuate the victims to safe places and provide the much needed support in the local government.
He noted some members of the organisation and public-spirited individuals had made donations towards assisting the victims but said that the donations were not enough to alleviate the suffering of the people and mitigate the impact of the disaster on the communities.
“We are sending this Save-Our-Soul message to President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Yahaya Bello as well as NEMA to come to the rescue of our people.
”These people cannot help themselves under the present circumstances and their survival now depends on support from the government and donors. They should not abandon us in this time of difficulty,” Uchola appealed.
He further appealed to members of the public and kind-hearted individuals willing to assist the victims to do so by coming to the aid of the victims.
The forum merely echoes the call of victims of the nine local government areas in the state affected by the flood.
With prices of food hitting the roof, transportation impeded in some instances, fare hike, more than 600 hectre of farmlands lost, thousands of victims in social,economic and psychological difficulty, people stressed timely intervention by the state and federal governments, Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other kind hearted to come to the aid of victims in the state.
A stich in time saves nine,they urged.
They added that, in dire need of aid, the victims needed the milk of human kindness of all and sundry with the financial resources to assist these unfortunate Nigerians gather pieces of their lives again and move on with life.
thousands of victims of flood in kogi state bemoan over their loses,beneficiaries of Value Chain Development Programme(VCDP), mainly rice farmers under the FGN/IFAD Assisted Project in Kogi State, are lamenting over the loss of their rice farms of over 600 hectres to the Natural disaster.
The Reporters recalls that flood came visiting Lokoja and its environs a week ago, leaving many residents, especially those close to the bank of River Niger, homeless and at the mercy of relations and friends for temporary accommodation among other inconveniences.
Many residents are still feeling the effects of the ravaging flood in the area as at the time of this report on Thursday.
Our Correspondent reports that the beneficiaries are vulnerable farmers under the IFAD-VCDP Rural Poor Stimulus Facility (RPSF) while the programme is aimed at cushioning the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on rural farmers.
The farmers who are mainly from Ibaji, Lokoja and Ajaokuta Local Government Areas, told Kogi VCDP Media team and Newsmen on Thursday in Lokoja, that all their rice farmlands had been submerged by flooding.
Narrating the ordeal,
the Ibaji Local Government Liaison Officer, Mr Achogu Fredrick, said about 216 rural farmers in Ibaji who benefitted from the IFAD-VCDP RPSF, had all lost their rice farmlands to flood.
According to him, each of the 216 farmers had one hectare of rice farmland, totaling 216 hectares in Ibaji, adding that all have been submerged.
He stated that IFAD/ VCDP painstakingly funded RPSF to pull farmers from the dungeon of poverty created by COVID-19 19 in the system but that unfortunately,the flood had pushed the people back into hunger and starvation.
”The RPSF grant which was a palliative to support us as vulnerable rural farmers to cushion the effect of the COVID-19, has been lost again.
”A total of 216 farmers who benefitted from the RPSF grant have lost everything to the flood. Indeed, it is a double tragedy for us.
”We did not only lose our farmlands but also our houses and properties. “Presently, the fear of what tomorrow holds for the farmers is what is in the heart of the people now.
”We are calling on the federal, state government and other relevant organisations to come to our aid, because this is a colossal damage which can not be repaired.
The flood does not spare the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in kogi state.
Infact, the entire Kogi VCDP farmers are in mourning mood currently.
Mr Friday Ofor, Joel Ogala, Enefo Festus, Samuel Joseph and Victoria Ajodo, in their separate comments, beneficiaries of the project in Ibaji expressed sadness over the sudden loss of their rice farms to flooding.
”We never expected this kind of great loss, it took us unawares. We are appealing to the relevant agencies and authorities to come to our aid,” Ajodo said.
The youth and women farmers’ leaders in both Kabawa and Magajiya Clusters in Lokoja, Seidu Liman and Maryam Abubakar, respectively, who were beneficiaries of RPSF, described the loss of their farm lands as a great damage to them and their families, adding that after investing time and resources,the flood came and swept away their rice.
Liman said the devastating effect of the loss of their rice farmlands to flooding would be huge on them and their wellbeing and called on the government to come to their aid by providing palliatives for immediate relief.
The affected farmers in all the three local government areas, lamented that they did not only lost their farmlands but also their buildings and properties, noting that the flood had further exposed them to more suffering.
Speaking on the incidence, Dr Stella Adejoh, State Programme Coordinator of IFAD/VCDP, expressed sadness over the destruction of rice farms of the vulnerable rural farmers by flooding
According to her, several people lost their means of livelihood during the COVID-19 pandemic, and consequently faced with hardships,including vulnerable rural farmers.
She explained that IFAD-VCDP, through the RPSF grant, decided to help the vulnerable farmers affected by the pandemic to bring them out of their poverty situation.
Dr Adejoh said the farmers were provided with grant in form of inputs by IFAD such as fertilizer, certified rice seed, selective and non-selective herbicides, among others.
She noted that a total of about 614 rural farmers,cut across the four rice producing Local Government Areas of Lokoja, Ibaji, Ajaokuta and Kabba/Bunu, benefitted from the RPSF in the state.
”It is very unfortunate and devastating that these poor vulnerable farmers have now lost almost everything due to flooding. I feel very sad and demoralized over the colossal loss,” she said.
But the Governor of the state, Alhaji Yahaha Bello, says his administration is not unaware of the plight of the victims, assuring them that he is more touched by the monumental sufferings they are going through as a result of the effects of the natural disaster.
In his “Extra ordinary Speech” to mark the low key 62 Independence Day in the state, Bello said: I am deeply distressed by the scope of devastation and suffering that has already been visited on our people by the rising floodwaters this year.
“The flooding has affected the nine (9) local government areas which lie along the Rivers Niger and Benue, namely, Lokoja, Kogi-Koto, Ajaokuta, Ofu, Igalamela-Odolu, Bassa, Idah, Ibaji and Omala. Ibaji is almost 100% under water while the rest range from 30% up. Other inland LGAs also have some degree of flooding from smaller rivers and tributaries.
“We, therefore, have a serious and humanitarian tragedy on our hands, but I wish to assure every person, family and community, which has been affected, that they are not alone and that help is coming.
“Even before the floods came,we had activated our early response systems to make sure that succour reaches those affected in a timely manner.
“What this means is that in the short term, we are providing affected persons and communities with shelter at our various Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps, as well as security, food, medicines, clothing and cash grants for necessities, among others.
“In the long term, we will need to gear efforts towards more sustainable solutions where possible.
“The 2022 floods have been confirmed as Nigeria’s worst flood disaster in a decade, and they are becoming progressively worse than those of 2012 and 2018.
” Inasmuch as my administration has implemented Flood Early Warning Systems (FEWS) and efforts are ongoing to evacuate and provide relief for victims, we must now admit that more is needed from the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
Bello,therefore, appealed to the President, Muhammadu Buhari, to declare a State of National Disaster Due To Flooding in Kogi and other similarly affected states.
He expressed optimism that the declaration would help to unlock the nation’s latent capabilities to respond more aggressively with more men, money and materials to this harrowing situation.
Beyond appeal,Bello, reminded the people that “natural Disasters can neither be controlled, contained nor anticipated.”
“Even as we exercise the basic flood management methods to prevent and reduce the detrimental effects of flood waters, we urge our dearly beloved citizens, affected by this disaster,to move to our designated IDP camps on higher ground for safety,” he advised.
In all,it is instructive to note that this is not the best of time for Kogi state and its residents and as such,all hands must be on deck to relieve the state of the heavy burden of collosal loss of property worth millions to flood.
As stakeholders in the rescue mission strive to put smile back to the faces of flood victims in kogi state, concerned members of the public have harped on agitation to hasten efforts aimed at assisting flood victims to recover from shock and brunt of this monstrous phenomenon called flood as well for the sake of humanity.
Nothing short of quick supply of relief materials for flood victims,by all and sundry, will mean much for them because as one of them revealed, “life looks dark, murky, or somber” for us now.”
“All we need now is where the next assistance will come from, governnent or private sector, to make life meaningful to us again,” he added.
However, relieve came the way of the victims in the state on October 7,2022 when the state government flaged off the distribution of relief materials donated to the state by the National Emergency Management Agency with the Commissioner for Environment,Victor Obafaiye warning against corruption in the distribution of the materials for those intended.
The materials consist of Vegetable oil, red oil, beans, gari, rice, tomatoes paste among others.
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Relief materials donated to kogi state by NEMA.
Dada Ahmed publishes The Reporters,an online publication.
ahmeddada008@gmail.com./www.thereporters.com.ng.
