Flooded Communities: Rights Activist Appeals To Gov Okowa To Declare State Of Emergency

By Daniel Dafe

A rights activist in Delta State, Derrick Oritsematosan Agberen, has appealed to the State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa to declare a state of emergency on flooded communities in the state.

Activist Agberen said this in a statement on Friday.

While commiserating with the people of Patani, Isoko, Burutu and Ukwuani communities as well as families who are victims of the flood disaster in the aforementioned areas across the state, he noted that “lives have reportedly been lost in some of the flooded communities, with property worth billions of Naira destroyed.”

He said that “the Delta State Governor, Governor Ifeanyi A. Okowa, at this juncture, should find it appropriate to declare a state of emergency in the affected area, therefore releasing state resources to provide the appropriate response and recovery activities to victims of floods in the various affected areas.”

He added: “While I am appealing to the Delta State Government to continue sensitizing residents with appropriate information to safeguard their lives and property in the affected areas, the State Government should judiciously make use of monies from her state treasury to provide medical services, food, water, sanitation and hygienic supplies to the displaced persons in the various camps, that is if there is one.”

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Furthermore, he said that “the flood disaster should not be an avenue for misappropriation/embezzlement/diversion of funds to suit other purposes rather than what it is meant for, especially now, that various political parties are having their campaign activities.”

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Agberen also called on relief organizations, local organizations, churches, business owners and other humanitarian groups to support the state government in reaching out to displaced persons across the State.