Traditional and political elders in Bayelsa State have called on the federal government to come to the rescue of the state government and the thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) ravaged by flood, lamenting that the destruction caused by the disaster cannot be handled along by the state.
In separate positions made by the former managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Chief Ndutimi Alaibe, and the Bayelsa State Elders’ Council led by the former deputy governor of the state, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha Jonah (rtd), expressed misgivings over the delayed response of the federal government to the disaster.
The Elders’ Council called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently visit the state to assess the damage the flood had done to life and means of livelihood, urging the federal agencies to take the lead role rather than leaving the state to contend with the flood disaster.
Alaibe, in a piece written to empathise with the people of the state and titled “IT’S FLOOD, FLOOD EVERYWHERE, stated that despite the spirited efforts of the state government to mitigate the effect of the disaster, the state need sthe federal might and support from international agencies.
He said, “For the past few weeks, we have watched with helpless agony and unimaginable pain, the massive destruction of properties by the flood that has ravaged Bayelsa State. We have seen, as if in slow motion, some houses submerged in water with the occupants trapped. We have helplessly witnessed human beings in vehicles swallowed up even on our Niger Delta highways, in endless journeys to eternity. Our children and elders both men and women, have perished”.
“In some cases, several families have woken up from sleep to find themselves being helplessly driven by water to unknown destinations. In other situations, families have gone to bed in the comfort of their homes, only to be drowned, never able to wake up again. Schools have been destroyed. Churches have been swept away. Hospitals with patients and staff have come under attack and destruction. Farmlands have become mere memories. At the peak of the flood, our local airport and the Niger Delta University were rendered inaccessible until government initiated moves to restore the over-flooded section of Yenagoa Amassoma Road.
“Those who have died do not deserve to die. It could have been you and I. Without any fault of theirs, they have died avoidable and painful death. Some of the corpses have not been traced. Those that have been traced cannot even be buried. Its water and more water everywhere. Bayelsa State is under attack. There is no pretension about that. These attack cuts across party lines and ethnic groupings. This is a case for national emergency and not merely an expression of sympathy. It is not business as usual. The state government is doing its best but we need more help. Those who have narrowly escaped this catastrophe are homeless. They have no place to sleep. Some are sick but cannot be treated, because our hospitals no longer exist”.
On his part, the chairman of the Elder’s Council and former Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State Rear Admiral Gboribiogha Jonah (Retired), while speaking on behalf of the group when it donated food items including bags of rice and Garri to the State government at the Internally Displaced Person (IDP) Camp at Ox-Bow Lake Yenagoa, insisted that in line with the National Disaster Management System, it is the responsibility of the Federal Agencies to take the lead role rather than leaving the state to contend with the flood disaster, warning that the already appalling situation might relapse into humanitarian crisis if the federal government failed to act swiftly.
He said that the Bayelsa Elders’ Council was not comfortable with the attitude of a number of federal agencies who they accused of bulk passing, adding that advising Bayelsans to move to higher grounds is an advice out of misunderstanding because there are no high grounds to go to in Bayelsa. They advised the federal government should rather build flood shelters as it is done elsewhere to provide comfortable accommodation each time flood occurs.
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