Flood Devastates Akwa Ibom Communities, Leaves Widow Homeless

A devastating flood triggered by three days of heavy rainfall has wreaked havoc across communities in Akwa Ibom State, destroying homes, submerging roads and leaving hundreds of residents stranded, including a 70-year-old widow whose house collapsed moments after she escaped.

The widow, Mary Monday Peter, narrowly escaped death late Sunday night when floodwaters overwhelmed her home in Ikot Usoekong, Eket Local Government Area. She fled the building just before it gave way, leaving her homeless and without any opportunity to salvage her belongings.

The collapsed building, located behind the Deeper Life Camp Ground in Ikot Usoekong village, was among several properties destroyed as floodwaters swept through the area.

Another resident, Essen Bassey, said the flood also destroyed household items worth millions of naira in the neighbourhood.

Madam Peter, who has lived alone since her husband died 10 years ago, described her survival as an act of God but lamented that she had lost the only home she owned.

“I have no one to help me. Since my husband died 10 years ago, I have been living alone. My children are still struggling to stand on their feet. Now, the only house I had has collapsed. I appeal to the governor and other kind-hearted Nigerians to come to my rescue,” she pleaded.

Beyond Eket, the flood submerged roads and residential areas in parts of Uyo, the state capital, including the Oron Road axis at Mbiabong, Shelter Afrique Estate Extension, Two Lanes, Aka Itiam, Tabernacle Road and Itam in neighbouring Itu Local Government Area, leaving many residents stranded and appealing to Governor Umo Eno for assistance.

Residents described the destruction as heartbreaking and called for urgent humanitarian intervention to provide temporary shelter, relief materials and support for affected families, particularly the elderly widow.

In response, the Akwa Ibom State Government activated emergency measures involving the Ministries of Works and Environment, the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA) and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA). The agencies have begun desilting drains, clearing blocked waterways and removing structures obstructing natural drainage channels.

Governor Umo Eno also directed the evacuation of residents from affected communities and revoked the Certificates of Occupancy of buildings found to have encroached on natural waterways, promising compensation for affected property owners.

As part of efforts to reduce future flooding, the government has reintroduced the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, held on the last Saturday of every month, with penalties ranging from fines to community service and jail terms for indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drainage channels.

Officials said more than 150 sanitation offenders were arrested, prosecuted and convicted during the latest sanitation exercise.

Despite the interventions, residents and civil society organisations faulted what they described as the government’s failure to act on earlier flood warnings issued by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and other relevant agencies.

Executive Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN), Otuekong Franklin Isong, criticised what he described as a reactive approach to disaster management.

A community leader in Abak Local Government Area, Etteudo Okon, also urged the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), churches and local and international humanitarian organisations to urgently provide relief materials and other support for victims of the disaster.

A widow, about 70, identified as Mary Monday Peter, was amongst those who escaped death by the whiskers, when the raging flood waters which ravaged her community, Ikot Usoekong, in Eket local government area of Akwa Ibom State, LEADERSHIP checks have revealed.

The three days of downpours also wreaked havocs, submerging buildings in parts of Uyo, the State capital, including the Oron Road axis of Mbiabong, Shelter Afrique Estates extension, two Lanes, Aka Itiam, Tebernacle road and Itam, in the adjoining Itu LGA, forcing the stranded residents to cry to Governor Umo Eno, for compassion.

For Madam Peter, on Sunday night, her home at Ikot Usoekong, Eket LGA, she was awoken to the unwanted visitor (floods) taken over her compound, but was lucky to escape from the building before being submerged and crashed to the ground, with no time to salvage personal belongings.

“The incident occurred at the very late hours of the night on Sunday, crashing the building located after the Deeper Life Camp Ground in Ikot Uso Ekong village to the ground.

It also destroyed properties including households items worth millions of Naira around the Ikot Usoekong neighborhood,” another victim, Essen Bassey, lamented.

However,vMadam Peter, who has lived alone since the death of her husband 10 years ago, said she narrowly escaped being submerged under the debris of her building through the instrumentality of God.

The widow, who lamented that now she has no shelter, described her survival as an act of God, saying she had lost the only home she depended on.

Fighting back tears, she made a passionate appeal to the State Government, corporate organisations, philanthropists and other public-spirited individuals to come to her aid.

“I have no one to help me. Since my husband died 10 years ago, I have been living alone. My children are still struggling to stand on their feet. Now, the only house I had has collapsed. I am appealing to Governor, and other kind-hearted Nigerians to please come to my rescue,” she pleaded.

Residents of the community described the incident as heartbreaking and called for urgent humanitarian intervention to provide temporary shelter and support for the elderly widow.

They appealed to the state government, humanitarian organisations, religious bodies and well-meaning Nigerians to assist Madam Peter in rebuilding her home and restoring hope to her life.

However, the State government has put several intervention measures in place as well as emergency response team from the Ministries of Works, Environment, Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA) coordinated by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), to desilt gutters, cleared clogged drainage infrastructure and demolish illegal structures on the right of way of waters.

The Governor has also directed the evacuation of the affected residents and revoked the Certificate of Occupancies (C-of-Os) of the affected building with a promise to pay compensation.

Besides, the State government as part of deflooding process on the capital, has reactivated the monthly environmental sanitation holding every last Saturday of the month with jail term or fines including community service sentences, curb the growing culture of dumping refuse in gutters.

Over 150 defaulters, it was gathered, were arrested, prosecuted and convicted with punishment ranging from fines to community service last Saturday.

But despite the emergency intervention programe launched by the State government, concerned residents and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) including the Centre Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN), led by its Executive Director, Otuekong Franklin Isong, blamed the disaster to what they described as “reactive, rather than proactive attitude to emergency situations.”

“Akwa Ibom State had since been listed by the Nigeria and alerted by Metro logical Agency (NiMet); the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and other Histological departments to put necessary mechanisms in place to contain the impeding deluge of rainwater, yet the government failed to heed such early warning signal, and the results are what the unprepared victims are currently wallowing in,” Etteudo Okon, a community leader in Abak LGA, noted.

He, therefore, called on the SEMA, under the office of the Deputy Governor, Senator Akon Eyakenyi; the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Churches, local, national and international aid agencies, rise to the humanitarian crises by providing relief materials for the victims.