Residents in Pains as Flood Destroys Houses, Farmlands in Kogi

Barely 48 hours after a federal government, the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) distributed relief materials to 113 communities affected by the flood, and more communities have been submerged with houses, farmlands, produce, and other valuables destroyed.

It was gathered that the flood came on following the release of water from the Ladgro dam in Cameroon and other dams in Nigeria.

Prior to this time, the National Meteorological Agency (NiMeT) had predicted that flood would affect 22 states and called on the states, local government, and the residents in the flood plains to take precautions to mitigate against the devastating effects of flooding the various areas.

The residents of Kabawa, Adankolo, Gaduma, and Ganja have been submerged and cut off from the rest of the state capital. Investigation revealed that many houses may be affected as the high tide water is constantly increasing every minute.

While many civil servants who are caught unaware could not find their way to their various offices and those who are brave enough went by canoe to the other side.

It was a lamentation galore for parents who were taking their wards to for resumption of school were forced to go back home as none can risk leaving school children to go the school at this moment.

Also, the popular Ganaja road leading to Ajaokuta, Kogi East, and the Eastern part country has been submerged as many trucks were stocked in the water, while vehicles have to park by the roadside with commuters.

The market women in the state capital expressed their frustrations as they could not get to market with various goods.

In some areas, street urchins were seen helping people to cross to another side of the road and started extorting money ranging from N500 to N1,000 what they do.

A retired civil servant Mr. A Akpata disclosed that he went to his brother’s house behind Omega Hotel and discovered that it has been completely submerged, pointing out that it was the help of fishermen with a canoe to evacuate the property and other valuables out of the water.

The four-flat building belongs to an America-based business and some tenants were seeing struggling to evacuate their property.

Reports from Ibaji Idah Igamela/Odolu, Omala, Ofu, Idah Ajaokuta, and Kogi are more terrible as many communities went under water and the farmers are already groaning in pain as their farmlands and the farm produces have been destroyed by the rampaging floods in their communities.

The rice farmers also lament their losses to devastating floods. Jonathan Ogwuche of the Rice Farmer Association in Ibaji Local government area of Kogi State,  stated the members have lost billions of Naira to the flood as it may take a long time for the flood to recede.

Meanwhile, following the resumption of schools that coincided with the coming of the flood disaster, the state government may be contemplating extending the resumption as some of the schools may be used as Internally Displace person camps for a while.

Source: Thisdaylive.com