Environment
Iriebe Flooding Records First Casualty …As Community Cries Out For Help
Following the death of a middle-aged man caused by flooding in Iriebe Community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, some prominent indigenes of the community are calling for urgent intervention by the authorities to forestall further loss of lives.
Sources informed The Tide that, the deceased who hailed from Akwa-Ibom State, was allegedly bitten by a snake while walking through the water which has continued to rise.
According to the source, some parts of the community had been sacked by the flood with over 2000 persons displaced.
The worst affected areas include, School To Land areas, housing estate area and Shell location road. The rest are; low cost housing estates and the road leading to Umuebulu, trailer park areas around The Adolescent Programme (TAP) and the interlocking road.
Some prominent indigenes of the community who spoke to The Tide on the incident, said more lives may be lost as reptiles have continued to swim around the community.
They also alleged that some private schools in the community have closed down, while health facilities are also affected.
The paramount rulers of Iriebe community, Eze Jeremiah Worenwu, told The Tide that the flooding this time around is the worst in the area.
According to the paramount ruler, the situation is not only serious, but critical stressing that people are leaving the community in droves as a result of the situation.
He said the rising level of water is threatening neighbouring communities of Umuebulu and Igbo Etche, and called for urgent government intervention.
Also speaking, another prominent indigene of the community, Chief (Dr) Godwin Ollah, said Iriebe has been cut off from the rest of the state.
Ollah said there is no road in the community that has not been affected, adding that villagers now see snakes and other reptiles swimming round the community.
He however blamed the situation on the incessant rainfalls, lack of drainages and the on-going construction of the Port Harcourt/Aba express road by the Federal Government. According to him where drainage is higher than the existing surfaces, there is a likelihood that such a place will experience massive flooding.
The community leader who is the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the community, called for government intervention to forestall further loss of lives and property.
Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said, it would visit the community to undertake assessment of the level of destruction caused by the flood.
South South Zonal Head of NEMA, Mr. Walson Random, told The Tide in a telephone interview that the agency would undertake an on-the-spot assessment of the situation before recommending for relief materials.
Effort to reach the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment proved abortive, as he was said to be out of town.
Meanwhile, the Africa Global Development for Positive Change Initiative (ADI) has called for collaboration between the Rivers State Government and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to save the situation in Iriebe.
The Executive Director of the organisation, Princess Dan Mbachi told The Tide in an interview that the situation at Iriebe demands urgent government attention.
He said that the government should not only take measure to create drainages in the community but sensitise the people on the importance of maintaining a clean environment.
President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mrs Margaret Oguntala, has inaugurated the construction of 18 units residential terrace in highbrow Alausa area of Lagos toward bridging the nation’s shelter gap.
Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has launched the 1GOV Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to enhance digital governance and improve service delivery.
The launch, held on Thursday in Abuja, marks the ministry’s transition from paper-based operations to a smart, integrated and technology-driven work environment.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said the deployment aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
Utsev said the system would improve data management, streamline workflows and strengthen transparency and accountability across the ministry.
According to him, the ECMS will enhance productivity, preserve institutional memory and reduce operational costs in the ministry.
Launching the platform, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, said the initiative is a major step in public sector reform.
She said the ministry’s mandate affects Nigerians through water supply, sanitation, irrigation, river basin development and climate resilience programmes.
Walson-Jack said the 1GOV ECMS enables secure digital records management, automated workflows, electronic approvals and real-time collaboration across MDAs.
She added that the deployment aligns with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 and the directive for full digitalisation by December 2025.
“Effective governance cannot afford delays caused by manual bottlenecks or avoidable inefficiencies,” she said.
She directed that all official correspondence in the ministry must henceforth be processed through approved digital registry channels.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Emanso Umobong, said the system would eliminate workflow inefficiencies and improve service delivery.
She urged staff to fully adopt the platform and engage in continuous capacity building.
Research shows that local communities and citizens living at the grassroots, particularly women, are directly impacted by the environmental degradation, flooding and others that result from these manifestations.
In the light of this, non-governmental organisation, Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development (EUFORDe), has held a forum for women and other members of oil impacted communities, tagged: ‘Voices from the Grassroots,’ and aimed at building their resilience and mitigation efforts against climate change and environmental degradation
The forum, with the theme: ‘Building Resilience for Oil Spill Impacted Ahoada Communities,’ organised with support from Global Green Grants, was held in Ahoada Community, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, on December 5, 2025.
Executive Director of Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development, Mercy Elemchukwu-James, said women are at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.
The event, therefore, was “designed for community women impacted by oil spills, flooding and other environmental degradation,” she said.
Community women were enlightened by resource persons on new opportunities for sustainable agricultural practices and water management techniques that cushion the impact of oil spills.
Lectures were also delivered on Self-care and Trauma-care, with focus on physical and mental health of the population, and increasing access to health-related resources and services; as well as on Food security and women’s critical role in decision making in oil spill and flood situations in communities
Elemchukwu-James pointed out that the event created a forum for stakeholders, civil society actors and others to dialogue on measures at advancing inclusive and sustainable livelihoods of community women.
She stressed the need for collaborative efforts towards achieving mitigation efforts, while underscoring EUFORDe’s commitment to “fostering partnerships as a critical driver for achieving a healthy community and sustainable development.”
Elemchukwu-James described participants’ design of ‘Community Resilience Plan,’ to manage and combat environmental degradation and crises, as part of achievements recorded at the event.
The forum also witnessed the launching of EUFORDs’ Center For Resilience and Rights.
“This center is established to build resilience as Trauma-Care for victims of environmental degradation, support for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and a platform where victims of environmental injustice and other GBV cases can seek redress,” Elemchukwu-James said.
Participants celebrated the milestones achieved and charted a path toward greater impact in the coming years. They also described the event as “an inspiring and transformative experience.”
Elemchukwu-James said the awareness creation workshop “reaffirms EUFORDe’s mission to create an equitable society in which the rights and capacities of women, youth, children and underprivileged are integrated in the socio-economic planning and development of communities, for the attainment of equity and peace.
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