Over 200 houses, including worship centers, schools, clinics and shops were not spared as flood, occasioned by heavy downpour, ravaged Nasarawa local government area of Nasarawa state yesterday.
The State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, while speaking at the scene of the incident, ordered immediate evacuation of the victims from the flood prone areas.
The governor also donated N2million as his personal donation, for the provision of relief materials for the victims without delay.
“My administration will take a second look at the channelization project while hoping to seek the collaboration of the Federal Government in tackling the age-long ecological problems in this area,” he said.
Sule urged the people to desist from building on waterways and stop indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drainages.
Chairman of the affected local government area, Mohammed Sani Otto in his remark, thanked the governor for his prompt response.
“This is the worst of its kind in the local government in the past 40 years.
“We have never gotten it so bad as it is today, people are in dire need of help. You went round and saw it yourself, some houses were submerged.
“The promises His Excellency Engr. Abdullahi Sule made so far, he has started to redeem those pledges.
“He promised to support the victims with 2Million naira to enable us provide for them some relief materials such as mattress, pillows, bed-sheets, food, where we can have a temporary shelter for them for the meantime and he has redeemed that pledge,” he stated.
His Royal Highness, Emir of Nasarawa, Ibrahim Usman Jibrin, called on the state government to empower the state Urban Development Board with adequate manpower and mandate to execute their duties effectively.
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The traditional ruler who decried the resident’s non-compliance to building regulations called on them to stop building and dumping of refuse in water ways.
“Roads were covered, houses, everything you can think of, water will always find its way whether you make provision for it or not, when it does it comes with full force and you cannot contain it,” he said.
A resident of Water Board area, Mr Muhktar Haruna, whose poultry was submerged by flood, said that he lost over N500,000 worth of birds and properties.
The supervisory councillor of health with the local government area, Mrs Halimatu Kande Umar, whose residence was also affected by the flood narrated the incident to our correspondent.
“It was around 4:00am when I heard my neighbours shouting and saying water is coming again. I ran out and met some of my neighbours helping those affected to pack their things out of the house, we brought some of the properties to my house but unfortunately, a while later, the water got higher and entered my house too.
“About two weeks ago, we experienced flood here in Water Board Area, but it was not this serious. On 8th of this month in the night to the morning of 9th,” she disclosed.
She lamented that sympathizers were stealing their properties which they managed to escape with, as their houses were filled with water and they were forced to keep their properties outside.
She appealed to the government to assist by relocating them to a safer and more convenient place.
“All our eyes and our hope is on government. We are praying to God to touch the mind of our leaders to come to the aid of all those staying by the river side. With all joy, we will be happy if they remove us from here and take us somewhere else,” she said.
Naturenews noted that this was the second flood in Nasarawa town in less than two weeks.
Buses of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Nasarawa Emergency Management Agency (NASEMA) were seen arriving the scene of the flood s at the time of filling this report.
