Don Blames Ravaging Floods On Lack Of Planning

The Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law of the Rivers State University and Professor of Energy and Environmental Law, Prof Samuel Dike, has identified lack of planning by government and its agencies for being responsible for the ravaging floods affecting several parts of Nigeria including the Niger Delta region and the Lokoja area of Kogi State, among others.
Dike, who gave this indication in an interview in Port Harcourt, said the inability of the government at all levels to put preemptive measures in place to avert the ravaging floods after the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET) and the Nigerian Air Space Authority (NASA) had predicted them, is partly responsible for the unimaginable environmental problem affecting the country today.
He regretted that Nigeria is good in embarking on knee-jerk responses after being hit by natural disasters like the current flooding, describing the scenario as the real bane of the country.
Dike, who is the National President of the Association of Environmental Lawyers of Nigeria (AELN), said the current flooding ravaging parts of the country is a sad commentary and development that would have been prevented if efforts had been made to heed to the timely warning given by NIMET and other agencies to address it.
“It is unfortunate that we wait for problems to occur before we can respond. And this has not helped us”, he said, contending that the government at all levels had not performed well in the area of either mitigating the impact of the flooding or developing adaptive response measures when it had not happened.
Dike also blamed the current floods on climate change which has resulted to a noticeable sea level rise all over the world; a scenario which he said made coastal cities, communities and villages very vulnerable to flooding.
Besides, he noted that the location of the Niger Delta region and the Lokoja area, within the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean, accounts for the areas being worst hit by the floods and called on government at levels to begin right away to plan against future occurrences.
Dike said the Federal Government does not have the requisite wherewithal and capacity to handle the current problems created by the floods, and stressed the need for it to invite Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), foreign governments and partners, both home and abroad to come to the aid of the country.
Dike said the current challenge requires all hands to be on deck to be tackled, and for Nigerians to begin to think out of the box.
“We should begin to plan ahead to forestall future occurrences. We should study other coastal nations which have similar terrains and geography like ours, to find out how they handle the problem of flooding. It is not all about attending conferences or signing climate change treaties. It is about implementing decisions reached and working the talk; keeping down zero emissions and not cutting down trees”, he said.
While commending Governor Nyesom Wike for doling out N1billion to cater for the flood victims, the university teacher stressed the need for desilting of all gutters and the Ntawogba Creek in Port Harcourt and building of embankments to protect the Garden City before it is submerged by flood, and commiserated with victims of the current floods. He urged public spirited individuals, corporate organisations and churches to follow Governor Wike’s footsteps.
Dike condemned in strong terms the deplorable condition of the Eleme axis of the East-West Road, which has claimed several lives in recent times, and called on the Federal Government to declare the road an emergency.

By: Donatus Ebi