A DEVASTATING flood has submerged over 60 communities in Ibaji Local Government Area (LGA) of Kogi State.
According to the Daily Trust, the floods ravaged Ibaji, a region notorious for its yearly flood disasters.
Speaking on the incident on Friday, October 11, the Ibaji Flood Plains Multipurpose Cooperative Society (IFPMPCS) urged the Kogi State government to take immediate action in response to the floods that have affected over 60 communities in the area.
Chairperson of the IFPMPCS executive committee, Joy Ede Ukoje, a professor, made this plea during a press briefing in Lokoja, the state capital.
At the briefing, she highlighted the urgent need for intervention.
Ukoje called for immediate action to address the devastating floods in Ibaji, Kogi State, highlighting the urgent need for a disaster relief fund.
According to her, the fund would provide crucial support to over 60 affected communities, alleviating the suffering of residents and helping to mitigate the impact of the flooding.
Ukoje warns that flood management efforts in Ibaji and surrounding areas have exceeded the state government’s capacity.
According to her, the state government faces significant challenges in effectively managing floods in Ibaji and River Niger’s adjacent areas.
The flood in Kogi is coming a week after The ICIR reported that the Ondo State government ordered residents of flood-prone areas to evacuate after a flood hit some parts of Ondo town on Friday, October 4.
The flood, which destroyed property worth millions of naira, came after a heavy rainfall that lasted for several hours hit the ancient town.
Areas mostly affected include Odo, Oka, Itanla, Ijomu, Akure-Ondo Expressway, and Bethlehem, among others.
Reports indicate that many houses and vehicles were submerged in the affected areas.
Some victims have also reportedly moved out of their houses to seek shelter elsewhere. However, no loss of life was recorded.
Reacting to the disaster, the state government, through the commissioner for environment, Oyeniyi Oseni, on Saturday, October 5, said it had directed evacuation in the affected areas and quick response had begun to limit further damages.
The government emphasised that it had put strategies in place to prevent a recurrence.
It added that it had deployed amphibious excavators into critical erosion-prone areas in the state for dredging.
Oseni added that his ministry would work with relevant government agencies to address illegal dredging around the waterways.
The Ondo flood came a few weeks after the flood crisis in Maiduguri, Borno State, left residents of the North-East state panicking.
A reporter with the ICIR
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