- …State rolls out free healthcare, food, relief materials
- ….NEMA arrives with intervention as Odu seeks stronger Federal support
Chairman, Rivers State Flood Prevention and Management Committee & Deputy Governor, Prof. (Mrs.) Ngozi Nma Odu (Right), in a handshake with the Director, Search and Rescue, Air Commodore Bature Usman (2nd Right), during the presentation of Cash Supports to the Flood Victims. With them is the Head of Operations, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Port Harcourt Office, Dr. Chidi Ogundu (Left), at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has ordered the payment of ₦200,000 to identified victims of the devastating floods ravaging parts of the state, as the government steps up emergency relief and begins preparations for long-term measures to tackle recurring flooding.
The intervention, announced yesterday by the Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Rivers State Flood Prevention and Management Committee, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, includes direct cash transfers, food and non-food relief materials and free healthcare for affected residents.
Odu, who disclosed the measures while receiving a delegation from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) at Government House, Port Harcourt, said the governor issued the directive after returning from the United Nations General Assembly in New York and receiving reports on the worsening flood situation.
She said the governor directed the committee to return to the worst-hit communities and intensify relief operations, particularly in parts of Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt City local government areas where rising floodwaters had forced some residents to resort to canoes to reach their homes.
According to her, the ₦200,000 assistance is being transferred directly into the bank accounts of identified victims to eliminate third-party interference and ensure that the funds reach the intended beneficiaries.
“This is to let you know that we have a compassionate Governor who cares about issues affecting the people, especially the downtrodden,” Odu told residents from Rukpokwu who were affected by the flooding.
She said trucks loaded with food and non-food items had already been deployed to several local government areas, with additional relief materials being sent to communities worst affected by the disaster.
Odu stressed that the state government’s intervention was not being guided by political, ethnic or social considerations, declaring that “flood does not know party affiliations.”
She added that the government had incorporated healthcare into its emergency response through the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme.
Under the arrangement, flood victims requiring medical attention would be registered and referred to nearby health facilities for free treatment, while cases requiring specialist care would be referred to higher-level hospitals, with the cost covered under the intervention.
The deputy governor said the healthcare support was expected to run for at least one year.
But beyond the immediate humanitarian response, Odu said the Fubara administration was working on a longer-term strategy to tackle the recurring flooding that has disrupted communities across the state.
She said the government was considering measures to redirect floodwaters into designated canals, alongside the clearing of blocked waterways, improvement of drainage systems and removal of obstructions. The canal project, she explained, would commence after the present floodwaters had receded.
Odu called for closer cooperation among the Federal, state and local governments, as well as NEMA, the Nigerian Red Cross and other emergency-response agencies, to strengthen the state’s capacity to respond to flood disasters. She commended NEMA for responding promptly to the state’s distress call, saying the agency’s intervention team arrived within hours of receiving the appeal.
The Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Abubakar Umar, represented by the Director of Search and Rescue, Air Commodore Bature Usman, said the agency was in Rivers to sympathise with the state government and residents affected by the disaster.
Usman said NEMA had commenced an assessment of affected communities in collaboration with the Rivers State Emergency Management Agency (RSEMA) and other stakeholders. He said the agency would strengthen the capacity of RSEMA and other agencies involved in the response, adding that he would remain in the state to supervise the intervention.
He also disclosed that NEMA had brought relief materials for affected communities and would continue to collaborate with the state government to ensure timely response to flood emergencies.
Meanwhile, beneficiaries of the ₦200,000 intervention, including Mrs Precious Uzoka, Muritala Sanusi and Chinedu James Asonye, expressed appreciation to Governor Fubara, describing the assistance as unprecedented in their communities.
The state government has assured flood victims that relief operations will continue alongside efforts to develop sustainable measures aimed at reducing the impact of flooding across Rivers State.