Flood forces Anambra schools to shut down, puts Edo in trouble

All primary, post primary and tertiary schools in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra have been temporarily closed down in reaction to the flood disaster in the area.
The council Chairman, Mr Arinze Awogu disclosed this while inaugurating the distribution of relief materials at the council headquarters, Atani on Tuesday.
Awogu said the closure of the schools was in line with the directive of Gov. Willie Obiano who said schools in the affected areas should close down to avert loss of life.
“We are in an emergency situation and for us, safety of life is paramount, people will not have need for education when they are dead.
“So in line with the directive of the governor, we have asked that all the schools in Ogbaru be temporarily shut down,” he said.
He said that a 12-man Local Emergency Management Committee had been set up to ensure effective rescue and coordination of victims as well as distribution of relief materials to those in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.
The council boss said Ogbaru had taken delivery of buckets, mattresses, mats, mosquito nets and blankets from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) but noted that it was still a far cry from what was required.
According to Awogu, about 190 households comprising of no less than 1, 100 persons are presently at the three IDPs camp located at the council secretariat, Community primary school Odoekpe and St James Anglicans Church, Iyiowa.
He noted that 13 out of the 16 villages were on the coastal bank of River Niger and all had been critically affected by flood adding that the remaining three were also highly exposed to the menace.
The chairman, who had also been sacked from his house, said no life had been lost to the flood in Ogbaru at the moment stressing that destruction of property, farm, farm produce and livelihood of the people was massive.
He urged people to move to the camps and decried their reluctance to leave their ancestral homes.
“We are close to where we found ourselves on 2012, when the water height was 12.84 metres and as at yesterday it stands at 11. 80 metres, so you can see how close we are to it.
“There are 16 communities in Ogbaru and 13 of them are along the river bank; all these towns are terribly submerged.
“These are Odoekpe, Atani, Akiri, Ochuche, Mputu, Osamala, Oguikpele, Obaogume and Ummunankwo and they are all gone.
“Others are Obagu, Umuzu, Obaogume, Ogbakuma, all these towns are submerged, no place is safer than the other.
“It is a humanitarian challenge here, we need the best help we can get, it is good that the federal government has declared Anambra flood a disaster, we want to see massive deployment of relief materials here.
“We need effective medical assistance because of the looming epidemic; we need food, disinfectants, toiletries and other emergency items.
“What we are distributing is what we got from SEMA, we want NEMA to react to their declaration by massively deploying relief materials here,” he pleaded.
He thanked Obiano and the people of Ogbaru who had helped to draw attention to the disaster and also rendered assistance.
Similarly, at least 30,000 persons have been displaced by flood submerged 42 communities in Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that over 8,000 houses and thousands of hectares of farmland were affected by the flood.
The communities that are mostly are on the bank of River Niger, and had their crops, such as rice, were washed away by the flood.
The council chairman, Mr Victor Emuankhagbon, while lamenting the loss, called for urgent assistance for the victims.
He said because of the enormous destruction occasioned by the flood, there was little or nothing the council could do.
While noting that no fewer than 30,000 persons were displaced by the flood, he said a temporary camp was set up to accommodate the displaced.
“It is huge natural disaster which mainly affected Ifeku Island and Illushi mainland. The destruction is such that I cannot quantify the loss.
“I am appealing to all relevant government agencies, as well as the state and Federal government, to come to the aid of the victims.
“The disaster is mind boggling. Homes are submerged, some destroyed, farmlands and crops washed away. People don’t have homes to sleep in, no dry land to even cook their meals.
“We are in the process of evacuating them to safer locations. But the job is obviously beyond us; hence we are calling on both the state and federal governments to come to our aid without delay,” said Emuankhagbon.
The council boss listed some of the affected communities to include: Illushi Oji, Oji Ozigono, Oji Awenje, Ajobe, Ajabutu, Owoli, Iyegbi and Ukpodo.
Emuankhagbon noted that four wards out of the ten wards in the council, were affected by the disaster. (NAN)

By Chimezie Anaso and Igbaugba