Ekpeye: Tales Of Ravaging Flood

The various camps harbouring the teeming population of psychologically battered faces of men, children and women, could barely contain the influx of victims. Despair and uncertainty hang in the air as they look up for succour from any available source to alleviate their pitiable plight. The scenerio is akin to bands of straggling escapees from a war-torn zone in an asylum, but contrary to being victims of a conventional war, they are people whose familiar sense of communal existence is shattered by natural disaster, the raging turmoil of flooding which struck with a suddenness that caught the victims and even the authorities napping. The displaced victims contend with the sudden twist of fate in damp, sodden and improvised settlements, counting their losses in most dehumanising circumstances. They are exposed to untold economic hardship, health challenges, as normal economic activities are totally paralysed in the affected areas; their farmlands, crops completely damaged by the surging  waters that came as a fast riding tide, engulfing the communities.  Another major fear encountered by the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) is the exposure to wild animals and reptiles flushed from their natural habitats by the flooding.
Like many other areas in Rivers State and the country at large, affected by the terrifying torrents of running waters, the entire Ekpeye ethnic nationality comprising both Ahoada East and Ahoada West Local Government Areas is battling with measures of mitigating the catastrophic effects of the flooding that has displaced them from their homes, making them refugees in their own home land. Thousands of people now live in dehumanising circumstances at makeshift settlements in town halls, school grounds and other shacks that now serve as  living abodes of the internally displaced persons. A visit to the area recently, revealed  the collosal losses suffered by the people.  Counting the immeasurable losses of the people, the Eze Ekpeye Logbo III, HRM Amb Eze Kelvin Ngozi Anugwuo, during a chat with The Tide while receiving some relief materials from some concerned Ekpeye indigenes in the diaspora under the auspices of Usama Ekpeye in the US,  said the communities had similar experience in 2012, which left in its  wake unfathomable losses, but the damage then was mild compared to the losses of the 2022 flood.
The Ekpeye Monarch said, “we have been battling with issues of flooding for some time now. In 2012, the flooding was severe but it was not as bad as what we witnessed this year, the experience in Ekpeye land this year is terrible, there is need for a concerted effort from all relevant stakeholders to save Ekpeye people from unmitigated flooding”.
There is yet an utmost concern over the interval and timing of the flood. It is pertinent to note that the decade gap was enough ominous signal for the curtailing of the tell tale consequences of the returning upsurge, a culpable indictment on the concerned and relevant authorities in planning and remediation therapy for natural disasters.  Beyond the expectations of government intervention to stem the perennial and devastating effects of the flood, the need for a community- driven and sustainable approach stares at the victims on a brazen and collosal note. The fact being that only the direct victims feel the pulses of the sodden and rampaging tirades while others barely feel the sordid realities except from media reports. The concerned Ekpeye indigines in the diaspora under the auspice of Usama Epkeye, who paid a solidarity visit to the Eze Ekpeye Logbo in deep expression of their concern and empathy for the life threatening encounters of their kiths and kins to the unmitigated effects of flooding, noted that perennial flooding has been a major upset to the people and other affected communities within the coastal fringes of the overflowing Benue and Niger Rivers.
According to the President of Usama Ekpeye, Comrade Omanuwa Morgan,  who led a delegation of the group to donate some relief materials such as cartons of Indomie noodles, bags of rice, tubers of yam and toiletries to the flood victims, such self-driven measures in addition to external interventions by government and other stakeholders would bring the most lasting solutions to the protracted challenges of flooding and avert its untold consequences which are now a pandemic. Speaking with newsmen shortly after presenting the relief items to the Eze Ekpeye Logbo in Council, Comrade Morgan, said Ekpeye indigines in the US are working out modalities to tackle the flooding. He said relying on government alone has proven to be a still-born and abortive measure as only the people can seek lasting solutions to the flooding. As part of measures of cushioning the effects of the flooding on the affected communities,  the people of Ekpeye Ethnic Nationality have sent a save our soul message (SOS ) to President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately direct the Director-General of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to come to the rescue of Ekpeye flood victims.
The call for urgent intervention of the Federal Government was contained in a communique jointly issued by the Ekpeye Logbo in Council, the National Executive of the Uzugbani Ekpeye and Ekpeye People’s General Assembly and made available to The Tide.  Shortly after,  the Eze Ekpeye Logbo III of Ekpeye Land, Eze Kelvin Ngozi Anugwo led members of the various groups and the Ekpeye Flood Committee on routine checks to the IDP camps. Speaking to newsmen shortly after sterling revelations from the flood victims at the various IDP camps, the spokesman of Ekpeye Nation, Comrade Ogboka Chris Umeda, said it was imperative for the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in flood affected areas considering the magnitude of the flooding which has displaced the economic livelihood of 97 per cent of Ekpeye population who are predominantly peasant farmers. The people of Ekpeye while thanking Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike for releasing 1billion naira and constituting task force for flood victims, called on the team to put more efforts and attend to daily needs of Ekpeye flood victims.
The Eze Ekpeye Logbo, III had while in one of the camps,  thanked Ekpeye sons and daughters for donating in cash and kind through the Ekpeye Flood Committee. He also appreciated the gesture of Total Nigeria Limited, Governorship candidates of the two political parties for donating relief materials for the flood victims and called on other multinationals, corporate organisations, politicians to also come to the aid of the Ekpeye flood victims.  The reverred Ekpeye Monarch explained that a major challenge faced by the flood victims was debilitating health conditions as there were inadequate health facilities to cater for the teeming population of internally displaced persons in the various camps. The chairman of Ekpeye Flood Committee, High Chief ThankGod Okedike,  who spoke with The Tide in an interview at Ahoada,  said so far, the committee has continued to receive relief materials from well meaning individuals and the items have been judiciously distributed among the flood victims. He said Ekpeye people will remain grateful for the kind gestures.
The views of the foremost Ekpeye Monarch was also shared by the leader of a frontal organisation in Ekpeye Land, the Uzugbani Ekpeye, Speaking with newsmen, in Ahoada recently, the President of Uzugbani Ekpeye, Dr Ukechukwu Nyemenim, expressed deep concern over the plight of the flood victims and solicited for urgent intervention to avert the devastating effects of the flooding on the socio-economic lives of the people.  The case of Ekpeye people is no doubt a replication of the sordid experience and ordeals of other flood ravaged communities in Rivers State and Nigeria.

By: Taneh Beemene