Environment
Flood: FCET Staff Cry Out For Help
Staff of Federal College of Education (Technical), Omoku, Rivers State who were displaced from their homes by this year’s flood disaster have called for their inclusion by the Rivers State Flood Management Committee Taskforce in the ongoing donation of palliatives to flood ravaged areas in the state. They also urged the Federal Government,Ogba Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Council,the National Emergency Management Agency and multinational companies operating in the area to come to their aid.
According to a press release made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt, they complained of being neglected by relevant authorities in view of the fact that they were also affected by the disaster.
According to the release, no government agencies or multinational have sympathised with staff of the institution who have suffered various loses as a result of the flood.
“Since over one month when they were sacked from their various homes and their properties worth millions of Naira destroyed by the flood, nobody or government agencies have cared to ask how they are managing”.
They lamented that for the fact that they are not staying in IDP camps does not mean they were not victims of the 2022 flood disaster and appealed for help from concerned authorities in terms of relief materials, and medical support to cushion the effect of the disaster on them.
The release further said that Federal College of Education (Technical), Omoku flood victims staff numbering over 600 with their family members are now taking refuge in the college students hostels, lecture halls, assembly halls while others are in hotels with relations begging for assistance from the Federal Government, Rivers State Government, the political parties, the 2022 ONELGA Flood Mitigation Committee, the Chairman of the local government Council, the Oba (Eze Ogba) of Ogbaland, NEMA, NAOC Ltd., Indoroma, Elf, NDDC, Bro. Felix Obuah, and other philanthropic bodies and individuals to come to their aid as they are suffering like other flood displaced persons.
The release signed by the Public Relations Officer of the college, Prince Charles Amadike-Otoboh, stated that some of those displaced include members of the Academic Staff Senior and Junior Non-Teaching Staff belonging to Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCOEN) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) being the three unions existing in the College.
The chairmen of the unions in the college, Comrades Richard Onuotu, Pakaye Ekene and Ireju Wokocha of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCOEN) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) respectively, when contacted said they have comprehensive lists of genuine flood victims of their union members and wondered why over one month since their members were displaced by the flood disaster, no assistance has come to them from any government official, companies, philanthropists, individuals and organisations, describing it as an open neglect.
.They however thanked the management of the College led by the Provost, Dr. Emmanuel Ikenyiri, for providing some of the affected victims shelter in the College students hostels and some lecture halls, assembly halls, among others.
By: John Bibor
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.