The member representing Aniocha/Oshimili federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon Ndudi Elumelu, has called on the federal government to dredge rivers Niger and Benue and its tributaries as long-term solution to perennial flooding in the country.
He stated this at the weekend when he visited flood victims in the six internally displaced persons (IDP) camps located within the federal constituency, urging the victims to see their present situation as a temporary setback.
Elumelu, who is also the minority leader of the House, prayed and glorified God with the victims and made a donation of N21 million for their upkeep, revealing that arrangements had been concluded for the provision of relief materials for the flood victims to enable them go back to their various communities when the flood would have receded.
“I felt that as a servant of the people, I should come and feel the pains inflicted on them by the ravaging flood, which not only displaced them from their ancestral homes but also caused massive damage to their property and means of livelihood. The good news is that whatever they are experiencing now is not permanent and will soon come to pass,” he stated.
The minority leader used the opportunity to call on the Federal Government to come to the aid of the flood victims, just as he also called on NEMA to, as a matter of urgency, attend to the resolution of the House of Representatives to send relief materials to all persons affected, as a short-term measure.
“Dredging of the River Niger and all other Rivers that are linked to it has never been done. I think dredging will solve the problem. Dredging for a long time has never happened. Go to Warri Port, it has not been dredged; Onitsha Port has not been dredged; Koko Port and some others have not been dredged.
“These are long term measures that should be adopted to alleviate the sufferings of our people and by the time we enter the next rainy season, our people will not have to face this kind of situation”, Elumelu emphasised.
