JCI, others task communities, governments on flooding in Niger Delta

By : Julius Osahon, Yenagoa

Date: 12 June 2023 4:12am WAT

People walk along the East-West highway severed by flooding, bringing to a halt the movement of vehicles and economic activities, in Niger delta region of Ahoada, Rivers State, southern Nigeria, on October 21, 2022. - More than 600 people are now known to have perished in the worst floods in a decade in Nigeria, according to a new toll released on October 20. The disaster had also forced more than 1.3 million from their homes, said a statement by Nigeria's ministry of humanitarian affairs, released on Twitter. (Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP)

Junior Chambers International (JCI), at the weekend, hosted prominent Niger Deltans and scholars to find sustainable solution to perennial flooding in Bayelsa State, the Niger Delta and the entire country.

At a national reunion of Senate JCI, held in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, speakers, including JCI Chairman, Senator Oluwarotimi Adewole, Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote, and the keynote speaker, Ebipawodei Wodi, agreed that all hands must be on deck to end flooding or reduce its impact in the country.

Speaking on the theme, ‘Perennial Flooding In Nigeria: Causes And Sustainable Solutions For National Development,’ Wodi noted that flooding has become a yearly problem in Nigeria, which should be talked about by individuals, communities, local, state and federal governments.

He said though the problem of flood cannot be entirely eradicated from the society, communities and government could do something to reduce its impact.

He added: “What we proposed that could be done cuts across what individuals, communities, councils, state and federal governments should do. For example, nothing stops councils from sensitising people on the need to be conscious of their sanitation.

“We shouldn’t be throwing used sachets of water, plastic bottles and other forms of refuse in drainage channels. This would go a long way in preventing flood. Besides, they should set up a committee that would help during flooding.”

In his remarks, Wabote agreed that flooding is not peculiar to Bayelsa or Nigeria, but a global menace, which occurs every year.

He said: “Every year, either caused by human activities or natural, we have so much to talk about, like global warming, some of which is caused by individuals. We don’t take care of our environment, we don’t keep drains clean, and we expect that when it rains, it will not find its level.

“So, it’s a global problem; that’s why JCI gathered today, in Bayelsa, to talk about it, and I think the reason for the theme is that the consequence of flooding in the state is really grave, because we see it. There’s loss of livelihood, families are displaced and schools and businesses are shut. So, I think the call by participants is to say there is need for concerted effort in addressing the menace.”