Flood Disaster: Bayelsa State Government Declares 7 Days Break For Workers
As a result of the
flood Disaster in Bayelsa state south-south Nigeria, the state Governor Senator
Douye Diri has asked the civil servants in the state to stay at home due to the
challenges the ravaging flood has imposed on them.
The announcement was
made by governor Douye Diri during a state-wide broadcast on Tuesday, October
18, 2022. The Governor stated that the flood is a natural disaster that is ravaging
not only Bayelsa state but also other states in the federation, According to
the governor, nearly a million people in over 300 communities in the state have
been internally displaced by the flood. Some deaths have also been recorded.
The Governor further
added that critical infrastructure in the state like roads, hospitals, and bridges
including the state-owned Niger Delta University in Amassoma, the Niger Delta University
Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, and the University of Africa, Toru-Orua, have
been ravaged by the flood.
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“We urgently solicit the support of Multinationals, International
Donor Agencies, the Red Cross, Diplomatic Missions, and people of goodwill to
come to the aid of our state.
I appeal to Mr. President to
consider special grants to the state from the Stabilization Fund, Ecological
Fund, and Natural Resources Fund.
Over the last few days, floods have
overwhelmed our communities and severely impacted the lives and livelihoods of
our people. This is a natural disaster that has affected many other states of
the Federation to various degrees. I have been on a tour of several of our
communities to see firsthand the extent of the destruction. Our experience has
shown that flood water empties into our State.
From my assessment, the situation
is dire. Nearly a million people in over 300 communities in the State have been
internally displaced. Unfortunately, some deaths have been reported. The
narrative is the same across Sagbama, Ekeremor, Southern Ijaw, Ogbia, Yenagoa,
Nembe, and Kolokuma Opokuma Local Government Areas. Businesses have been shut
down, properties lost and farmlands destroyed. We have a humanitarian crisis.
Critical infrastructure like
hospitals, roads, bridges, and schools, including the state-owned Niger Delta University,
Amassoma, the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, and the
University of Africa, Toru-Orua, have been severely affected. As I make this
address, Bayelsa State is completely severed from the rest of the country as
portions of the strategic East-West Road, the sole access to and from the
state, between Ughelli and Patani in Delta State as well as Okogbe and Ahoada
in Rivers State, have collapsed with a high volume of flood water occupying the
stretch. Economic hardship has set in, as food, medical provisions and energy
are now in short supply. The situation is desperate and getting worse.
I wish to on behalf of the people
of Bayelsa, sincerely thank Mr. President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed
Forces, Muhammadu Buhari, for his kind directive to the different federal
agencies to come to assist the state. I urge them to comply with this
presidential directive expeditiously.
Without exaggeration, the sheer
scale of the devastation is not such that the state can handle it on its own.
We urgently solicit the support of Multinationals, International Donor
Agencies, the Red Cross, Diplomatic Missions, and people of goodwill to come to
the aid of our state.
I appeal to Mr. President to
consider special grants to the state from the Stabilization Funds, Ecological
Funds, and Natural Resources Fund. My dear people of Bayelsa State, I know
these are indeed trying times and you have my assurance that I will stand with
you through every step of the recovery process.
The Bayelsa State Task Force on Flood
Mitigation and Management in liaison with the State Emergency Management Agency
has established IDP Camps and provided relief materials for victims of the
flood. I have also directed that the distribution of these relief materials
should be done in a non-partisan manner. We are all first and foremost
Bayelsans.
I hereby
direct all Public Servants except those on essential duties to be given time
off from work for the next week. Let me make a special appeal to vendors,
particularly of fuel, food, water, and pharmaceuticals not to exploit the
situation. We must be our brothers’ keeper.'' he said
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