Managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has said the four multi-purpose emergency shelters currently under construction in Bayelsa and Delta states for Internally Displaced Persons, (IDPs) will be completed soon.
Ogbuku said this during an inspection of one of the emergency shelters at Otuokpoti community in Ogbia local government area of Bayelsa State.
He observed that the project was conceived as a response to the frequent flooding challenges faced by Niger Deltans. He noted that the emergency shelter, which could accommodate over 1,000 persons, was designed to serve as a temporary place of refuge during flood emergencies.
The NDDC boss said, “The facility includes essential amenities such as a school, hospital, cafeteria, police post, and recreation center, which would provide comprehensive support to the communities in times of distress.
“We have four of this facility currently under construction in Otuokpoti and Odi, in Bayelsa State, while the ones in Delta State are being built in Patani and Ozorro.
“When completed, the emergency shelters will provide temporary accommodation and necessary services to the communities in the event of emergencies.
We realised that during flood periods, displaced people take shelter in school buildings and this comes at a great cost because the schools are forced to suspend academic activities.”
Recall that Ogbuku had informed the Bayelsa Elders Council about the project at a meeting in Yenagoa in July 2023.
At that occasion, he pledged that the NDDC would initiate more enduring measures to mitigate the perennial flood in the Niger Delta region.
He told the Bayelsa elders that the challenge of ravaging flood in the region would be addressed holistically, stating, however, that the commission would build multi-purpose emergency shelters in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states as an interim measure.
