Flood: Catholic Priest Pleads Compassion For Victims

A Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Dr Magnus Ebere (SDV) popularly known as Fr. Edey Work, has appealed to Nigerians to do the little within their means to assist those affected by the flood nationwide.

Rev Fr. Ebere is a Catholic Reverend Father of the Society of Divine Vocations (SDV), the Spiritual Director of Canaanland Adoration Ministries Worldwide with its headquarters in the Counseling Centre in Umuoma, Onicha Mbaise in Imo State and Nnobi, Anambra State.

In his appeal, the Priest solicited that it was time for Nigerians to jettison all differences and join government and other organisations to help families hit by the flood.

“There is no gift that is too small for a man in need. Let us not wait for so much when the little we can do will go a long way.

“Those with extra houses and rooms can offer accommodation to some of the victims, thus reducing the pressure on the makeshift camps where many of them are currently residing,” he said.

He recalled that the number of people affected by flooding across Nigeria had risen to over 3.2 million, with over 600 fatalities as over 1.4 million people were displaced, and 34 of the country’s 36 States had been affected.

Also, over 569,000 hectares of farmland have been destroyed due to the damages from the floods, ahead of the October harvest season, saying this may aggravate more alarming food insecurity.

The International Federation of the Red Cross/Red Crescent (IFRC) had already issued a Floods Emergency Appeal of CHF 13 million (US $13million) to provide clean water, emergency shelter and cash to half a million people in several States.

Access remains a challenge in some affected areas, and some isolated communities could only be reached by boat, delaying the response.

The Priest, however, said that more was needed to be done in the area of healthcare assistance to victims especially women and children of affected families.

He urged Medical associations nationwide to continue to visit affected areas, treating those already with certain ailments as a direct result from infections arising from their living conditions.

“Having been to some areas in Imo State that are affected by this flood, in assessment the devastation witnessed is appalling.

“”It will dissolve the hardest hearts to behold what victims of these floods are going through.

“As a Ministry whose interest is the wellbeing of humanity, in the next few days, our plan is to revisit the affected flood victims, and take relief materials to as many as we can, but this can not be enough.

“Yes even if our compassion will go a long way, there is need for all Nigerians to be intentional in changing our value system, and make sacrificial efforts towards one another, especially in times like this,” he added.

He went further to appeal to non-governmental organisations too, likewise the international bodies/communities too to intervene.

He, therefore, assured that the Canaanland Adoration Ministries Worldwide (E-dey Work) would do its best to ensure that many of the flood victims were reached with what it had raised to ameliorate their plights.