By Obiabin Onukwugha
Fear of losing their farm produce to yet another flooding has resulted in harvesting of premature food and crops in communities of Odual kingdom in Abua/Odual local government area of Rivers State.
The panic harvest is as a result of warning recently released by the Nigeria Metrological Agency (NiMet), that waters from the Lagdo Dam will soon be released by the Camerounian government.
Odual, a minority tribe, mostly neglected by successive administrations both at the state and federal government levels, sit at the Belt of Orashi river, a tributary of the River Niger, and suffers severe loss and damages during flooding.
During the 2022 floods, people in the area lost both food, crops and properties worth millions of naira as communities and farmlands were submerged.
The Odual people are predominantly farmers, and mainly produces cassava (garri), plantain, banana, vegetables, potatoes, pepper and okra, while yam farming is subsistent.
NatureNews correspondent who visited the area last week, observed that gullies caused by erosion resulting from the flood within the communities were yet to be covered, while most private buildings and public utilities damaged by the flood remained unrepaired.
It was also observed that most of the farm produce being harvested, especially cassava, yam and potatoes were not yet mature.
Those who spoke to NatureNews, told our correspondent that they were yet to recover from the hunger and loss they suffered after the 2022 floods and losing their farm produce to yet another flooding will cause more harm to the economic wellbeing of the people.
A resident from Okolomade community, Tulanaami Wariboko, during an interview lamented that the yearly flooding has increased poverty and hunger level.
Tulanaami, who is a widow and mother of six lamented: “The crops are not yet mature but we have to harvest because it will be worse if in waiting, the floods come and consume them.
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“Last year, I lost more than a half of my farm to the floods because as you may know, the water flows in high speed. I am not willing to suffer another hunger so let me harvest and see what I can get out of it.
Another farmer, Ikpoki Gospel, lamented that because the crops were not yet mature, farmers cannot make as much money as they should.
She said: “A piece of farm that could produce between fifty to one hundred bags of garri can only produce between twenty to thirty because the cassava are not yet mature.
“Another thing I observed is that the cassava has too much water when grated and I think it’s because they are not yet mature. But then it is better than allowing flood to consume them.”
Another farmer, Miasighiani Ishmael, blamed the low harvest on the high level of flood. She reasoned that the flood might have washed away the nutrients in the farm lands.
“Our land naturally yields so much harvest for us, but the harvest this year is so poor. I think the flood washed away the nutrients that usually make our crops grow”, she stated.
On his part, Mr. Ikiabo Okowa, who stated that his family suffered a lot of losses last year, called on both the NEMA, state and local governments to come to the aid of the people.
He said the community never received any aid after the flood except from philanthropic stakeholders.
“We suffered a lot of losses. Our cassava farms, plantains, bananas and other crops were destroyed by the flood and even our properties in the house were also destroyed.
“We are always afraid because of the unavailability of government coming to our aid. We suffer these losses almost every year and we are calling on the government for assistance.
“Assistance in terms of building IDP camps and other relief materials such so we could move our families to safer grounds.
“The government never comes to our aid and even the last year flood too we never received any assistance. There were no relief materials from any government agency. It was only some men from this community like Prof Willie Okowa and also Prof Henry Ogiri that gave us some assistance”, he stated.
