After Flood, What Becomes Of Victims?

As more communities continue to be submerged under the ravaging flood across Rivers State, so also is the increasing number of victims of the flood disaster.

As at penultimate Saturday, the Chairman of the Rivers State Flood Relief Committee, Engr. Tele Ikuru had put the number of communities affected by the flood at 183 from the former 150, while the number f displaced persons had risen from 670,582 to 830,000.

This, no doubt, is a disaster of immense proportion, which has placed a heavy burden on the shoulders of government as an institution.

However, as the government intensified efforts to resettle the displaced persons with the opening of more camps, the question bogging the minds of the displaced persons and others is, what happens  next after the flooding?

It would be recalled that the incident has not only displaced persons, but has also rendered thousands of people economically incapacitated.

This was against the background that farmlands have been destroyed, while buildings have been pulled down by the flood disaster.

In other words, many peoples’ sources of livelihood have been destroyed, a situation that is now reflecting on the prices of foodstuff and other essential commodities.

This situation has triggered the clamour for the government to work out modalities of resettlement of the people after the flood.

Speaking in an interview with The Tide at Ahoada at the weekend, the Executive Director of Rural People Encouragers Network, a community based non-governmental organisation, Mr. Chukwuma Abraham, said that apart from the current effort of giving victims relief materials, government needs to take inventory of those displaced with the view to working out resettlement for them.

Mr. Chukwuma said that, one of the ways of doing this is by visiting the affected communities, take down the number of houses and farmland destroyed, while also identifying their owners.

He said that, by so doing, those displaced will not be given a sense of belongings in the scheme of things.

“The question we are asking is, where will these people go to from here?  Providing them with relief materials is one thing, but the most important is that they need resettlement after now” he said.

Mr. Chukwuma who is also the Director of Rural Christian Outreach, said the Group on its own, is helping the people through the provision of boats for evacuation of personal effects from the flood ravaged communities, while bags of rice including garri, have been made available to some of them.

Meanwhile, at the St. Paul Primary School Ahoada, the displaced persons also raised similar concern.

For Chief Jackson Icho from Upatabu community Ahaoda East, who lost three buildings and other valuable means of livelihood to flood, the question of where to start from remains his great challenge.

“Where am I going from here? I have lost three buildings to the flood, both my cassava, plantain and banana farms have all been destroyed. So, how do I start life after now?,” he lamented.

Another victim, Mr. Innocent Appah from Ogbede community Ahoada West, said that the flood has dealt a terrible blow on him.

Mr. Appah said that his building, cassava farm, plantain and yam farms have all been destroyed by the flood, while Miss Queen Gentle from Idu Ekpeye community Ahoada West, who claimed to be an orphan, said that she has no hope any more, as the only provision shop which served as her means of living has been destroyed by flood.

For Mrs. Dorathy King from Owube Ahoada West, there is nothing again to call her own as she now sleeps at the town hall.

Mrs. King, a mother of 13 children said that the only way government can be more meaningful to them is when a resettlement programme is worked out for them, while Mr. Okpora Harrison also from Idu Ekpeye who claimed to be married with two wives and five children expressed fear that if nothing is done about their plight, some of them might consider taking their own lives.

According to him, how does one start life all over again with this kind of destruction.

He said that government relief effort is welcome, “but let them compensate us.”

He claimed to have lost his three buildings, farm lands and fish pond to the ravaging flood, stressing that, how does one get such things back if there is no support.

“It is based on this that, I am calling on the Federal, State and Local Governments to come to our aid by compensating us” he said.

Chief Clifford Nwabueze who also claimed to have lost all his properties, however, warned against politicising the issue.

His concern is that, if the government decides on the issue of compensation, the real victims of the disaster might be sidelined as politicians may want to corner it for their political cronies.

Chief Nwabueze suggested that a high powered delegation be set up by the government to visit the flood ravaged communities to access the actual situation on ground, while owners of affected properties should be properly identified.

Mr. Onishosho Omie Doku from Okparaki community also urged for resettlement, saying resettlement is the only way they can be reintegrated into the society.

“How can we start life again if nothing is done for us? Government should help us by giving us money to rebuild our houses and farms which have been destroyed by the flood” he said.

Others who spoke in similar manner include Mr. Elenwo Isaiah, Rose Herbert, Catherine Eke and Helen Benson.

The victims were not alone on the issue as a cross section of people spoke to by our correspondent also stressed the need for are settlement programme for the displaced persons.

The co-ordinator, Nigerian Women in Democracy and Development, Mrs. Asselle Abigo Tshvinza said that the country must see the disaster as a national disaster whose victims need to be assisted through rehabilitation programme.

She argued that since majority of displaced persons were peasant farmers and fishermen, it would be wrong for the nation to abandon them after the water has receded.

She said that the government must work out a rehabilitation package to enable them resettle in their various homes that were ravaged by flood.

With the inauguration of Flood Relief Committee by the state government, there is hope that victims would not be left uncompensated; but how soon will this be, remains a big question no one can answer.