Jonathan inspects flood ravaged home state by air

President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday arrived in his home state of Bayelsa to inspect flood ravaged areas. He could not tour the state by road as more than 50 per cent of the state’s land mass has been flooded.

The president therefore decided on an aerial view of the state in a helicopter to see the extent of damage.

Much later, the president landed at the Government House helipad in a Nigerian Air Force helicopter marked NAF-541 at 1.10 p.m.

He later held a closed-door meeting with Governor Seriake Dickson before leaving for the Governor’s Lodge at about 2.45 p.m.

Meanwhile, three emergency hot lines set up by at the Government House, Yenagoa, had received more than 2,000 distress calls from flood victims.

The telephone lines are dedicated to serving persons who are either trapped by the flood, in need of evacuation to safe areas or needed medical attention.

The Government House itself is threatened and occupants may need evacuation, according P.M.NEWS correspondent, Okafor Ofiebor.

Even the president’s hometown of Otuoke is not accessible by road as the flood has gobbled all the roads.

P.M.NEWS learnt that all the hotels in Yenagoa are fully occupied as flood victims temporarily sought abode there.

A victim who is also a Publisher of a local tabliod in Yenagoa,but does not want his name in print narrated how he relocated his parents from their flooded village to his house in Asikoro community in Yenagoa only to be pursued by flood.

“Presently,I have relocated my family to my office.We are presently living in the office.My parents have checked into a hotel in the state.More than half of the land mass in Yenagoa is flooded”, he said

Governor Dickson had earlier closed down all the schools in the state to ensure the safety of pupils and students.

The Samson Siasia stadium in Yenagoa and other places designated as temporary camps are now overflowing with the displaced flood victims pouring into the state capital.

In another tour of flood ravaged Delta and Anambra states, President Goodluck Jonathan assured victims that the Federal Government had initiated measures for their proper resettlement when the water receded.

When he spoke during his visit to Fr. Joseph Memorial High School camp, Aguleri, in Anambra East Local Government Area, he expressed shock at the level of destruction caused by the flood in the area.

“I want to assure you that the Federal Government is working very hard to cushion your pain by the time the flood is expected to recede by the end of November,” Jonathan said.

He said his administration had set up a 34-member national committee on flood relief and rehabilitation co-chaired by businessman, Aliko Dangote and one time President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN).

“If it is only to provide feeding and medical care for you, I would not have inaugurated the committee I set up yesterday. If it is only the food and healthcare that you need, we would use the little resources we have, but we are thinking above that. The international organisations we contacted are ready to help out. The calamity is not the type local governments can handle. Even the Federal Government needs international assistance and we will work with state governments and other well-meaning organisations and individuals to ensure that the future remains bright for the victims,” he said.

The president said he realised that much of the flood that ravaged Kogi, Anambra, Delta, Bayelsa and Imo was caused by the over-flowing River Niger at the Kainji Dam built in 1968.

He assured the people that his administration was planning to build embankments around the Niger and Benue confluence in Lokoja as part of the measures to prevent reoccurrence.

The president said the Kassambilla dam now under construction would help to lesson the effect of flooding in future.

Governor Peter Obi of Anambra thanked the president for identifying with the state and noted that the visit had brought a lot of relief to the victims.

Obi said the state had been totally devastated with many people displaced, noting that no fewer than 21 camps were scattered across the state.

According to him, the Aguleri camp had 6,721 displaced persons mainly from Ezi Agulu-Otu, Enugu-Otu, and Aguleri-Otu communities in Anambra East Local Government Area.