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NEMA Advises Residents to Relocate as Flood Ravages 25 Edo Communities Near River Niger

NEMA Advises Residents to Relocate as Flood Ravages 25 Edo Communities Near River Niger

No fewer than 25 communities along the bank of the River Niger in Edo State have been submerged in flood following the release of water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroun. Consequently, the National Emergency Management Agency, (NEMA) has advised residents of such communities to relocate to avoid casualties. The local government areas on the bank of the River Niger affected by the flood are: Etsako East, Etsako Central and Esan Southeast.

Speaking with journalists, Ojimah Christopher, Desk Officer, Esan South-East Local Government on Relief Materials and Distribution, said the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the local governments had already been filled by displaced victims. Ojimah, who is also the Local Government Secretary, Emergency Committee, expressed concern that some communities, especially Ifeku, had been completely submerged and their property and livestock swept away.

A resident of the affected area, John Odaku, said their farmlands such as yam, cassava, groundnut, among others, have been submerged by flood while farm produce already harvested were swept away.

He said they could not salvage their belongings due to the rising level of the flood, which, according to him, was more than that of last year. “We couldn’t salvage our crops and farm produce and livestock as they were swept away by the ravaging flood”

While soliciting the assistance of both the state and federal government, Odaku stated that the local government had been shouldering their responsibility. Speaking on the development, Head of NEMA, Benin Operation office, Dahiru Yusuf, said the agency had been monitoring the flood situation in collaboration with state and local governments and other stakeholders.

Yusuf said, “Three local governments of Esan Southeast, Etsako East and Etsako Central, and some communities are displaced already” he said they have visited all the flood-prone local governments to assess their level of preparedness, noting that most of the IDP camps in the various local governments were ready.

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Written by Adekunbi Ero

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