President Jonathan’s Village Hit By Flood, His Helicopter Turns Refugee Camp

Oct 8, 2012 – Flood Hits President Jonathan’s Village, His Helicopter Turns Refugee Camp

Nigerians especially those in the southern part of the country have been forced by the angry flood carting away lives and properties to forge a remix of the track because indeed water is now their number one enemy. naijagists.com

If the flood was human, it should have known its boundaries, but as a natural disaster without fear or favour, it has spread to the homes of political gladiators in Bayelsa State, including the homestead of Nigeria’s first citizen, President Goodluck Jonathan.

His country home, Otuoke, just at the bank of the Kolo creek in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, was over the weekend, submerged by the devastating flood, following the ceaseless torrential downpour in the last few days.

Reports have it that over 90 percent of Bayelsa State has been submerged by the raging flood.

All the motorable routes to the President’s hometown have been over taken by flood, thus, making canoe the only means of transport to and fro the community while the landing space for President Jonathan’s helicopter has now been converted to a refugee camp, as the flood has sacked thousands of people from their homes.

Also, Amassoma, the country home of the former governors of the state, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha’s and his residence at Yenagoa, the state capital has also been over-flooded. The Niger Delta University (NDU) in the same community is not left out of the natural disaster currently rocking the oil rich city.

It would be recalled that earlier last week, the raging flood also paid a visit to the home of his Excellency, governor, Seriake Dickson.
Assuring the refugees of his assistant and urgent help, the Governor who spoke to them at the State’s sports complex yesterday asserted that an emergency disaster committee has been set up to attack the disastrous situation.

Lamenting, the natural disaster which has wrecked havoc in the state, Governor Seriake Dickson stated that six of the eight local government council areas in the state were under water and that even his country home in Toru Orua had been submerged also. “I couldn’t land in my own community when I went there.”

Painfully, the normal expenditure of the state cannot cope with the magnitude of the situation.
However, National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) in conjunction with Bayelsa state government has converted Samson Siasia Sports Complex, the Bishop Demieri Grammar School (BDGS) and the Igbogene Heliport into refugee camps and so far it has contained over 10,000 internally displaced persons.
South/South, zonal coordinator of NEMA, Emenike Umesi squealed that plans are been made by the government to erect three large tents capable of holding 200 families each at the Sports Complex as 24 small tents would also be built at the heliport landing space.

In a similar development, the minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adeshina had assured that efforts are been made by the federal government to partner with the International Rice Research Institute in Philippines for the introduction of rice that can do well under flooded conditions.

Adeshina disclosed this during his courtesy visit to the Kwara State governor, Alhaji Abulfatah Ahmed.
While inspecting the rate of the flood that ravaged farm lands in Edu and Patigi local government councils, the minister said the federal government would also distribute high yielding maize seedling that can mature in 60 days, free of charge to farmers.

According to him, “these efforts are part of federal government’s effort in ensuring that the floods, across the country which ravaged farm lands, does not lead to food scarcity in the country”.
He attributed the floods to climate change assuring that federal government has deployed means to bring the situation under control. (Source: Daily Post)