The Rivers State Government has berated the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for excluding the state among states that benefitted from funds disbursed to states suffering flooding last year.
The state Commissioner for Special Duties, Hon Emeka Onowu, who spoke while addressing newsmen in Port Harcourt, expressed sadness that the state was denied the funds last year, and advised the Federal Government not to play politics with the lives of people affected by floods.
This is as he said this year’s flooding will be worse, but assured that government has put necessary measures in place to alleviate the sufferings of those that would be expected.
Onowu said, “Let me say this, last year (2017), Bayelsa. Rivers, Delta, Kogi and Anambra states were listed as the foremost states that will be affected by floods. Do you know that Rivers State was excluded by the federal government?
“So, I begin to ask myself certain questions. Must we play politics with everything? Even with human lives and property. Assuming you play politics with property, but human lives that cannot be redeemed!
“And money was released to NEMA by the Federal Government to these other state i mentioned; but Rivers State was excluded,” he stated
He, however, expressed happiness that despite the disposition if the Federal Government towards the state, Governor Nyesom Wike had intervened and provided the necessary funds needed, “and we were able to get the relief materials to take care of those that were affected by the flooding.”
The commissioner stated that this year’s flooding would be worse, and advised members of the public to be on the alert, even as he said that the state government has taken steps to address perennial flooding in Eneka and Rukpokwu axis of Obio/Akpo LGAs.
“Eneka is naturally a flooded area. If you look the back of Eneka as a whole is swampy, it is water-logged. This has nothing to do with presence of drainages or not. It (flooding) must surely occur. ONELGA has drainage, Ahoada-West and Ahoada-East has drainages, but these places will be flooded.
“Let me use this opportunity to plead with the public that the flooding this year will be terrible (worse), so we want everybody to be on stand-by.
‘The moment we are ready, we will be on air and begin to evacuate people to transit camp and from transit camps to the main camps where they will be, reiterating that two relief camps have been opened in Ahoada and Aluu, respectively.
“Our transit camp is going to be at Ahoada where we will first receive people and from there we will allocate them to the main camp in Aluu and other areas,” he stated.
It would he recalled that the state government has said about 67, 000 people across five local government areas of the state will be affected by the floods this year.
Meanwhile. the Rivers State Government has commenced the comprehensive biometric data capture of pensioners in a move to develop a functional pension scheme in the state.
The biometric data capture for the pensioners is taking place at the Ministry of Justice Headquarters in Port Harcourt for the mainstream pensioners.
Pensioners, who retired from the parastatals are being captured at the Rivers State University.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professionals are working round the clock to ensure easy capture of the retirees.
The Head of Service, Rivers State, Barrister Rufus Godwins said that Governor Nyesom Wike was working towards a functional pension scheme that will stand the test of time.
He said: “The governor inherited six months pension arrears and settled the arrears. This is a public knowledge. Thereafter, he set out to address the pension issues that he inherited.
“The governor set up committees to address these issues. He has been implementing the reports. He has established the Rivers State Pension Board.
“There is a larger committee chaired by the deputy governor to make sure that every aspect of the pension issue dating back to 2009 under the Contributory Pension Scheme is resolved”.
Godwins noted that with efforts associated with the inherited pension issues, it is uncharitable for some misguided pensioners to attempt to malign the state government.
He added that there was no issue between the Rivers State governor and the pensioners as they were aware of efforts in place by the administration to address pension concerns.
“There is no issue between the governor and the pensioners. But there is an issue concerning the pension scheme he inherited and he is addressing it. All that is required is the support of those who are affected.
“To continue to protest is distracting us from the grave issue, which is to address the matter on ground “, he said.
He noted that the development of a functional pension system is necessary to avoid a relapse in the future.
“All the pensioners are to be verified and subjected to a comprehensive data process. We will have a timeframe to capture the pensioners after which the door will be shut”, Godwins said.
Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Head of Service, Mr Nnamdi Opu said that despite the financial challenges, the Wike administration has been up-to-date in terms of the payment of monthly pension.
He said the government has paid up to August 2018, with nobody being owed.
In his remarks, Permanent Secretary in charge of Information and Communication Technology, Mr Samuel Deresuma said all the equipment were in place for a successful biometric capture exercise.
The pensioners interviewed expressed gratitude to the Rivers State governor for his commitment to pension reforms and development of a sustainable pension scheme.
A pensioner, who has been captured, Festus LongJohn, noted that the biometric capture exercise will eliminate loss of government revenue.
Another pensioner, Daisy Jack, thanked the governor for the regular payment of pensions.
She said the biometric capture exercise will resolve existing challenges.
Venerable Sam Dan said that the state government was handling the entire exercise professionally.

Dennis Naku