Cross River Landslide Beyond State Response – Hon Bassey

Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Disaster Management, Hon. Joseph Bassey, has appealed to the federal government and international organisations to intevene in the devastating landslides in Cross River State.

The lawmaker said the scale of the crisis was beyond the state government’s capacity.

Bassey, who spoke yesterday in Calabar on the recent incidents that claimed lives and destroyed property, said Cross River had been identified early as one of Nigeria’s most flood and rainfall-prone states.

He said his committee had formally notified the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), which deployed officials to the state last week for simulation, risk assessment and sensitisation of vulnerable communities.

“We had preempted this situation. Cross River was one of the states that was pencilled down for serious rainfall and other flooding,” he said.

Bassey stated that President Bola Tinubu had been briefed on the situation and commended Cross River State governor, Senator  Bassey Otu, for his swift intervention.

He said the governor inspected the affected communities “even under the rain” and immediately commenced remedial work that helped reduce the impact.

He, however, lamented that “we lost some persons in different spots and those are not replaceable.”

Describing the disaster as one of the most severe landslides ever witnessed in Nigeria, Bassey attributed the vulnerability to the state’s topography and high annual rainfall.

He said this is why critical infrastructure, such as the Calabar-Itu Highway, is being reconstructed with a reinforced-concrete pavement to withstand the terrain.

The representative stressed that the enormous resources required for erosion control, slope stabilisation, and drainage cannot be provided by the state alone.

“This is not something the state government can handle alone. It requires strong support from the Federal Government, development partners and international organisations if we must provide lasting solutions,” he stated.

Bassey revealed that consultations are ongoing with the Federal Ministry of Environment and other federal institutions, assuring that the House will push for enhanced funding for disaster preparedness in the next budget cycle.

He urged residents in high-risk areas within Calabar metropolis to relocate for safety. He commended NEMA and SEMA for intensifying public enlightenment, noting that preserving lives must remain the top priority.