A month after rainfall wreaked havoc in Ofante, Ogugu in Olamaboro local government area of Kogi State, there is still no relief in sight for the victims as neither the federal or state government has officially intervened in the matter to alleviate their suffering.
Property worth millions of naira was destroyed by rainstorm in the community, including over 150 homes, primary and secondary schools economic trees and electricity poles were also adversely affected, but no life was lost.
Those affected since the incident are being accommodated by their relations and the fate of the pupils and students of the affected schools remains uncertain, causing concern among parents.
Despite the appeal from different quarters to relevant authorities to come to the aid of the community, there seems to be no succour yet for those affected. The health of the people is also at risk as threat of an epidemic looms due to the poor and over-crowded condition under which there are living.
While speaking on the incident, the Senior Programme Officer, Pilot Projects of Building Nigeria’s Response to Climate Change (BNRCC)/Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST), Samson Samuel Ogallah, described the destruction caused by the rainstorm as overwhelming and beyond the coping capacity of the community. He called on the federal, state and local government, National Emergency management Agency (NEMA) and its state counterpart, SEMA, Red Cross, philanthropists and other relevant agencies to urgently come to the aid of the community.
He said: “Until government at all levels become proactive in addressing the challenges of climate change in Nigeria, there is more to come with the vulnerability of the country to the impacts of climate change.
“Kogi State government should, as a matter of urgency, develop the ‘Kogi State Adaptation Strategy and Plan of Action – KGASPA’ towards addressing climate change in the state.”
Ogallah also noted the environmental problems such as flooding, poor crop yield and gully erosion in Kogi State, and attributed these to the adverse impact of climate change.
He called on Governor Ibrahim Idris to become proactive on issues of environment and climate change while also calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to sign the Climate Change Commission Bill into law.
?