FLOOD DISASTER HITS MAIDUGURI AGAIN: 1994 EXPERIENCE

[Dan-Borno]

A member of the Borno State House of Assembly representing Maiduguri Metropolis, Umar Abacha, has donated food items worth thousands of naira to the victims of the flood disaster that ravaged no fewer than 96 homes at Gwange-Gangara area of the state capital.

The items included bags of rice, groundnut oil and other relief materials.

The relief came as Alau Dam is also over-flowing, spilling water into Jere Local Government and other parts of the state.

Abacha, who presented the materials to the victims at the Gwange camp, sympathised with them and advised them to adhere to the rules governing house construction along river banks.

His words: "It is very wrong to take the river bank, whether dry or filled with water, for granted as no one can predict when exactly the river may decide to take its natural course. And when it does, it does not care whether human beings have decided to build houses there or not until it destroys all that you have laboured to put up as your houses."

He said both state and local governments would soon bring more relief materials to alleviate their pitiable condition.

The Red Cross official, who is the coordinator of the camp, thanked Abacha's colleagues from Hawul and Jere constituencies as well as the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Bakari Ali Kotoko, who showed support for the victims. He said over 500 displaced people are in the camp and solicited more facilities there for the convenience of the victims to curb exposition to diseases.

One of the victims, Mallam Abdullahi Dogo, said it was not their wish to erect houses on the river banks, but "simply because we are small income earners who are labourers and other menial jobbers who do not have the means to procure lands at choice places". He wanted government to provide safer locations for them to build their houses.

Dogo praised Abacha for his gesture and urged the rich in the community to emulate him.

Meanwhile, more flooding cases have continued to threaten Maiduguri and environs, as one of the major sources of tap water, the Alau Dam, is over-flown, spilling water into Jere Local Government area of the state. Experts are working to ease pressure at the dam, as fears grow that the 1994 incident, which led to the flooding of the state capital, is about to repeat itself.

Maiduguri Metropolitan Chairman, Bakari Kotoko, said the council had received approval from the state government to provide relief items to the victims, which he said would soon reach them, while the state emergency relief agency is also planning to send relief items that will assist them to get back to normal life again.

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i wonder what type of government we operate here
in Nigeria.  We started watching this flood right from
the period of Tsunami, and of recent, India, China,
England etc were threaten by this flood and meteorologist
have confirmed that it will also hit these areas of ours,
yet, our Government havent make any preparation
for the flood.

On the other side kuma, suma mutane suna da taurin
kai, sai kaga mutum ya yanki fili a tsakiyar hanyan ruwa
ko kuma ya gina gidan MILIYAN GOMA amma ya gagara
yin culvert in front of his house, so during the rainy season
sai kaga ruwa ya mamaye kofar gidansa - what a pity.

However, Government should still respond quickly to the
victims.  As at the time I am writing this post, the flood
has taken over College of Agriculture and some part of
the newly constructed 505 Housing Estate along Ngala
Road heading into the town.

Allahumma as'aluka khairuha wa khairu ma arsalta biha.
wa a'uzu bika min sharriha.