Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, on Wednesday, denied that Nigeria entered into an agreement with Cameroon to build a dam that will mitigate flooding when water from the Lagdo Dam is released.
The minister stated this while appearing for budget defence before Senate Committee on Water Resources in Abuja .
He said there is no record of such an agreement but while the government is in the process of building the Dasin Dam to mitigate flooding from Cameroon’s Lagdo Dam, there are engineering concerns.
Adamu said Cameroon did not inform Nigeria about the release of water from the Lagdo Dam until 24 hours after it was released.
The minister further said the Lagdo Dam contributes only one percent to the flooding in Nigeria, even though sometimes the water is released without notice.
According to him, 80 percent of the floods in parts of Nigeria are as a result of ceaseless rainfalls.
Floods have hit parts of Nigeria in the last two months with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) saying that about 2.5 million persons were affected and over 603 persons killed by the flooding caused by torrential rainfall of late.
Houses and farmlands have been submerged in Lagos, Yobe, Borno, Taraba, Adamawa, Edo, Delta, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Benue, Ebonyi, Anambra, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Imo, Abia States, and the Federal Capital Territory.
Flood: Okowa seeks FG, special support for Delta IDPs
Delta Governor and Vice-Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa, has called on the Federal Government, corporate organisations and individuals to come to the aid of victims of flood in the state.
Okowa made the call on Wednesday when he visited flood victims at Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps at Utagba-Ogbe Technical College, Kwale in Ndokwa West; Alaka Grammar School, Ozoro in Isoko North; St. Michael’s College, Oleh and Isoko Central School, Oleh both in Isoko South Local Government Areas of the state.
He empathised with all the flood victims in the state, and assured that his administration would continue to support them until they were able to return to their homes after the flood crisis.
According to the governor, who defied heavy downpour to visit the camps, the state government may not be able to estimate the extent of destruction but obviously the flood is very massive.
“This is the seventh camp we have visited since yesterday – three yesterday and four today and we have four other established camps. Beyond that, there are so many community camps that are being managed in the communities.
“It is a very extensive flood with a lot of displacement of people and I must thank all the various persons that have come here in the camp to stay.
“In all the camps we have visited they are actually bonding together as a family and when the state government and other willing donors are providing food materials, the women themselves are cooking and they are all living happily together.
“I am also very glad that the children have started school here and at the other camps we had visited.
“We have doctors and nurses attending to the health needs of the people here and I have been told that they have recorded three deliveries here and that there are over twenty pregnant women.
“By the special grace of God, we will try to do everything to make them comfortable and I want to use this opportunity to thank all those who have been able to donate food and other items to the various camps.
“And I call on Deltans and non Deltans who live in Delta that they should come out and support, whatever government is doing, it is best they support them,” he stated.
PRESS UNIT,
GOVT. HOUSE, ASABA
Pix0001: Delta Governor and Vice Presidential Candidate of PDP, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa (middle), praying for flood victims during his visit to Utagba-Ogbe Technical College, Kwale, Ndokwa West LGA camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on Wednesday. Pix: BRIPIN ENARUSAI
Pix0005: Delta Governor and Vice-Presidential Candidate of the PDP, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, playing with one of the children at an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp for flood victims at Alaka Grammar School, Ozoro, Isoko North LGA, during his visit to the camp on Wednesday.
Pix161435: Delta Governor and Vice Presidential Candidate of the PDP, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa (left), listens as he is briefed by the Camp Commandant of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp at St. Michael’s College, Oleh, Isoko South, Mr Prosper Edo (right) during the Governor’s visit to the camp on Wednesday. Pix: BRIPIN ENARUSAI
