DISPLACED persons in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Sunday attacked Christian leaders and broke the glasses of the doors of venue of service in an attempt to abort the planned Sunday service.
They also threatened to attack officials of the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) who were attending to their needs in the camp.
The victims were protesting the poor conditions in the camp, including insufficient food, mattresses and medical supplies.
Consequently, President Goodluck Jonathan, who was in his home state the same day, was compelled to change his plan to address thousands of the displaced people in the Bishop Dimeri Grammar School (BDGS) where persons displaced by flood from six communities are camped.
Those who spoke to Nigerian Tribune claimed that they have been abandoned by their leaders who have not shown enough concern for their plight since arriving at the camp about three weeks ago.
They, therefore, said that they were not in the position to listen to the word of God on empty stomach as nothing had been done to alleviate their suffering.
They also suspected that the church officials were more interested in the collections they would get from the worshippers rather than the victims’ comfort.
Speaking on behalf of the displaced persons, Emmanuel Colombus maintained: “Let them come together and help us. At most, in two months, this problem will be over. We have not seen any of our representatives, no local government chairman, no commissioner, no lawmaker both at federal and state levels, to come and see, first-hand, what we are suffering here. The condition here is not conducive for us.”
But speaking on the matter, the Bayelsa State chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), The Most Reverend Israel Ege, blamed the problem on the demand by the displaced persons for cash in place of the food that they were being served.
He argued that giving them cash was unthinkable as it would not go to those genuinely affected.
“If you give them cash, how will they share it? Some people will just grab it and go away,” he said.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) zonal coordinator, South-South zone, Emenike Umesi, said their anger was a consequence of their displacement from their homes and not necessarily because they were not receiving enough relief materials.
He said that there was constant supply of relief items, including garri, rice, beans, condiments, beverages, toiletries, medicines, mattresses and clothing items.
On the challenges facing the relief effort, Eminike, who revealed that there were over 40,000 registered displaced persons in the various camps in Bayelsa State, spoke of threats from militants who were calling to demand for accommodation and relief materials or would be forced to attack the camps.
NEMA also said that people not affected by the devastating floods were coming to the camps to cart away mattresses and other relief materials.
But President Jonathan has appealed to victims of the floods to remain calm as efforts were in top gear to alleviate their pains and help them to resettle after the floods.
Moments before he was scheduled to visit the camp, the visit was called off, ostensibly on the advice of security who apparently thought that the tension in the camp made such visit unwise.
President Jonathan, however, met with another set of displaced persons at the Samson Siasia Stadium, where he admonished them to be calm and cooperate with the ongoing efforts to make them more comfortable.
Accompanied by Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson, he condemned a situation were people not affected by the flood were forcing themselves into the camps and taking what is meant for the displaced persons.
According to him, “If you are coming to take what is meant for the displaced persons, it is very bad. We are concerned of what will be the aftermath of this flood with your farmlands, homes and other source of livelihood destroyed. How you will start life all over is the major concern here. If it is only food that is the issue, I wouldn’t have come here because I know you will survive.
“We have gone round using helicopter to see things for ourselves and I can see that the situation is really bad. In some of the places visited, houses, including whole storey buildings, are under water. The situation is very heartbreaking and we want to ensure every affected victim that we will help you pick up your lives and live a normal life again.
“You are not the only victims; people in Anambra, Kogi, Delta are equally badly affected. We have got assurances from some foreign governments and NGOs that they will help us. We are also going to use churches and other organisations to help in coordination of the relief materials,” President Jonathan stated.
Governor Dickson commended the president for his leadership and commitment to assist the displaced victims nationwide.
He appealed to the victims to exercise patience, saying that no one has been spared by the flood.
According to him, “we are not out of danger yet. Even Mr President was not spared as his country home and community were affected. I was also affected as my community is underwater and so are several people here. This is a natural disaster that has affected both the rich and poor. Please manage what we are doing in terms of relief materials though it can never be adequate. We know you are suffering. It is not easy, we have recorded some deliveries in the camp. This condition is not conducive for our women and children. But we are more concerned about what happens after the flood recede. We will continue to stand by you.”
200 orphans homeless in Delta
AT least 200 orphans are homeless in Irri, Delta State, resulting from the devastating flooding that has sacked their community, just as a 53-year-old man drowned on Sunday morning in Bobougbene in Burutu Local Government Area of the state.
The kids were displaced as the upsurge of flood bites harder in the community in Isoko South Local Government Area, where two women died last week while trying to salvage their cassava farm.
Nigerian Tribune learnt that the kids had been ferried to Oleh, where they were camped at the community town hall.
Source disclosed that one Isoko political leader was said to have facilitated the immediate evacuation of the kids and later bought a generating set to illuminate the town hall where they were camped.
Former Leader of Isoko South legislative arm and chairmanship aspirant in the council, Mr Evans Egbo, who confirmed the development, lamented that the flood had spared no one, including “our orphanage home at Irri.”
Meanwhile, former acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Pastor Power Ziakede Aginighan, has urged governors of all flood affected states in Nigeria to appoint credible and God-fearing people into committees set up to distribute relief materials to the communities.
Aginighan, in a press statement, said he undertook a personal fact-finding tour of some of the communities affected by the recent flood disaster in Burutu, Ughelli South and Bomadi local government areas of Delta State and found out that there was humanitarian disaster in the communities visited.
Also, a federal lawmaker, Mr Nicholas Mutu, represented by Mr Kelly Panawou, at the weekend, embarked on a rescue mission to affected inhabitants of the coastal communities in the Bomadi and Patani federal constituency of the state and donated relief materials worth N10 million.
Floods sink hope on rice production
As floods continue to wreck havoc in several states of Nigeria, destroying farmlands growing rice, maize and other crops, reports of damages pouring from all parts of the country point to a severe destruction of agricultural areas, prompting fears of imminent food security threats.
A report put together by a group of journalists in Abuja, after a tour of some of the ravaged areas of the country, said concerns on food security were coming at a time the Federal Government was contemplating the implementation of increased tariffs for importation of rice and the eventual stoppage of importation by 2015.
The 2013 budget proposes a 10 per cent duty on imported polished rice.
Kano State was affected by the floods, resulting in disruption to rice production in the state.
In a statement by an association of rice growers in the state last week, rice farmers lamented that about 95 per cent of all rice farms had been destroyed by the floods.