Govt nonchalance responsible for flooding, not climate change – Odu
The flooding rocking many States in Nigeria, causing displacement of citizens is nothing far from ineptitude on the part of government across all levels, a frontline Isoko leader of thoughts in the diaspora, Chief Obaro Odu has said.
Odu, who reacted to the flooding situation from Houston Texas in the United States of America, equally debunked claims that the recurring flood in the nation was as a result of some natural changes in climatic conditions, stressing that those charged with governance lacked vision to forecast and pre-empt situations.
He said, “The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has been aware of the problems for years. The agency also knew the current flooding was imminent sometime in August of this year because Cameroun warned Nigeria of her intention to release the excess water being held by the Lagdo Dam in Northern Cameroon.”
According to the elder statesman, “NEMA also knew of the flooding consequences of the opening of the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon.
“A government that works for the people should have had both long and short term solutions in place to avoid these recurring catastrophes that continue to inflict our communities “
Odu, the immediate past President-General of the Isoko Association of North America revealed that, “flooding in our Isoko homeland has been occurring every 4 years since 2012. Yes, in 2012 there was flooding. Another in 2018, and here we are again in 2022”.
He said it is quite unfortunate that there have been no steps taken by both the State and the Federal Governments to design and build canals to channel the water to non-destructive pathways.
He, however, lauded some public spirited individuals for rising to the occasion through various initiatives geared towards helping victims of the flood.
He noted that, “soon enough, the water will recede and those displaced will face the grim reality of going home and going about their lives, but for a majority of them there will be no home or farm to return to.
“This is what really agonises me. In one year, when all the attention, photo-ops, cameras and sympathies are gone, victims of this flood will still be dealing with such issues as where to live, what to do for a living and how to put food on their table. This is going to be very agonizing to say the least”
The diasporan suggested that now is the time to start planning to avoid the breaking news of Isoko floods in 2026.
According to him, “all hands should be on deck by all stakeholders to find not only short term solutions to the floods but also long term solutions to avert future occurrences.
“I must say it will not be easy. But I call on our governments at all levels and our corporate neighbours like the AGIP, Heritage, NPDC to be good corporate citizens of our Isoko homeland.”
“Hopefully, we can all look back four years from now and click our glasses of champagne
to a toast of ‘we got it done, mission accomplished’”, Odu said.
