For Dauda Abdullahi, a 72-year-old man, the loss of his grandson, Abubakar, to the flood on Wednesday remains a great pain to bear. He however says he is grateful to God that he, his two wives and eight other children survived the tragedy.
Abdullahi, who is Chairman, Fulani Traditional Council of Chiefs at Adankolo, Lokoja, Kogi State, says as the flood continued to gather, he instructed his grandson to watch his 10 heads of cattle and avoid the flood. But unfortunately, the flood came through another direction and Abubakar got swept off, together with the cattle.
Before Abubakar’s death, Abdullahi had done the necessary — or so he thought — by relocating his immediate family to the camp last Thursday when his rented apartment at Adankolo became flooded. He says he did not waste time as soon as he noticed the deluge, and he was able to salvage his property and took his family to safety. Despite all this, Abubakar still perished in the flood.
The septuagenarian says, “It’s a house I, my two wives and 10 children had occupied for more than 32 years. But the whole place was flooded. It didn’t collapse before we fled but now, I can’t possibly tell its state. It’s going to be a huge loss to me if it collapses because I did not insure it.”
A widow, Mrs. Salamatu Aminu, says the only house he built through “sweat and blood” has caved in to the flood.
For a woman who lost her husband 15 years ago, leaving her to fend for seven young children, hers is as much a tale of woe. She confesses that it has been hectic, while the flooding feels like a final nail on the coffin.
She laments, “Since my husband died about 15 years ago, I have toiled to bring up my seven children. I tried to train them up to the secondary school level, but the financial resources are lacking. As such, they are not gainfully employed. At a point, I was forced to give up two of the girls to early marriage, thinking that would bring succour, but it has been a forlon hope.
“Now, with the attendant loss that this flood has brought, I am at a crossroads, as my source of livelihood has been swept away. In fact, I’m at a loss as to what to do next. My house that I managed to build where I and my children were staying has been submerged by the flood. I am devastated.”
Another pathetic tale is that of three of the six physically-challenged people who are currently staying at the Relief Camp at St. Lukes Model School, Adankolo.
Their leader, Mr. Abu Ojochogolo, says the six physically-challenged
people currently live in one-room apartment with their families. They are 28 in all. He says he lived in his own house before the unfortunate flood, which swept away his property.
Ojochogolo, a father of four, explains that because of their physical disability, life in the camp has been hectic. For instance, the toilets that serve refugees cannot cater to their needs and he says it should be improved upon. That is aside the fact that it’s been hard for refugees to maintain proper hygiene in the toilets because of the sheer number of users.
Another physically-challenged person, Mr. Destiny Sule, a father of two, expresses appreciation for the official intervention, but urges the government to do more so as to prevent outbreak of epidemic in the camp.
Narrating his experience, he says, “The flood came gradually and later overtook the entire premises. We were evacuated before it started sweeping people away.
Another physically-challenged person, Mr. Godwin Akpa, says it was the immediate intervention of his neighbours that saved him and his family from being swept away. He could not salvage his belongings, however, as he lost all to the furious flood.
“I came here because flood overran my house. I was inside the house when it suddenly became flooded. But for the intervention of my neighbours who heard my shout and quickly evacuated me and my family, we would have been drowned or swept away by the flood. I lost many of my belongings, however. It was only a mattress that I could salvage.”
Another refugee says, “The experience was terrible. I and my family were in the house, and when we woke up in the morning, we saw that everywhere had been flooded. I have eight children and two wives. I came here about five days ago.”
Though the evacuees have their tales of woes, and they say that the camp experience is far from perfect, they are, however, grateful to the government and non-governmental organisations that have been assisting in making the camp habitable.
The majority of them are of the opinion that the government and well-meaning individuals in the society should assist in resettling them in their old communities, as they all have several things in common — loss of the little means of livelihood they all had before the flood, loss of accommodation, however humble, and the desperation to start life anew.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on the Environment and Physical Development, Mr. Ladi Jatto, says the government is on top of the situation and that, that is why it has established three camps in the Lokoja, the state capital, as well as in other affected nine local government areas.
When told that the people had issues with life in the camp, he says no matter the efforts made, people will still complain. But he assures that the government and other officials are doing their best to make the displaced people comfortable.
He says, “Government has been trying to provide relief materials to the victims. You can see they even have two generators here which we always switch on from 7pm. We have over 300 people living in each camp.
“I know we have over 1,000 displaced people in Lokoja, while in Idda, they are about 3,000. The government is trying to make sure that the welfare of the people is taken care of. We supply bread every morning to the camps.
“You can never please everybody, though, and no matter what you do, people definitely must complain. For now we are trying our best.”
Also, the Director of Administration and Finance, Kogi State Government State Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Abuh Okee, says it has been hectic for them as they try to manage the situation.
He says, “It is not easy to manage human beings, more so when they are tensed up, frustrated and have gone through a lot of trauma. We understand their psychology and in the present scenario, we appeal to them to be patient. Some of them insult us, but we take it.”
As for refugees’ complaint about the toilet facilities, Okee says, “We have about six toilets. SEMA has been able to provide zinc and wood and we have constructed extra bathrooms. Efforts are on ground to meet the challenges of conveniences. There are plans to provide mobile toilets.
“The feeding is okay, but some people want to make this place their permanent residence because of the provisions. There are unemployed youths among the refugees, and they are the ones complaining.” The Chairman, Nigerian Red Cross Society, Kogi State branch, Mr. Mustafa Allah-Dey, agrees that it has been hectic for the refugees and the peoplein charge of their affairs.
He notes that though the people were sensitised to the impending disaster, many of them ignored the warning.
He discloses that over 332 communities are affected, comprising nine Local government areas namely, Kogi, Lokoja, Basa, Ofue, Igalamiala, Iddah and Ebeja, Ajaokuta and Adankolo.
Also, the head of the security team at the Adankolo camp, Mr. Anthony Dauda, says there is no security challenge in the camp. And the Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Mr. Yomi Awoniyi, while expressing gratitude to the Federal Government and many organisations and individuals who have assisted the state in taking care of the victims, says government is doing its best to make the displaced people comfortable.
He confesses that the government did not envisage the magnitude of the catastrophe when it started.
He explains that over 11,000 people have been displaced, while more than two million have also been negatively affected by the flood.
He says the devastation is colossal and therefore beyond the financial capacity of the state government.
He says, “We are in a situation whereby some LGs have been completely submerged. One of such is Ibaji, which has 23 communities that no longer exist. Basa is terrible, and Omala is completely devastated. But with the support of NEMA, we have cause to be grateful.”
Officially, eight deaths have been recorded, though Awoniyi insists that they are not as a result of the flooding, but the deaths occurred when the boat conveying some evacuees capsized.
Again, two people have been declared missing.
He assures that the state government would look into cases of people with serious cases of loss in the relief camps, with a view to mitigating their ordeals.
He also says the plight of the disabled has been brought to his attention and that the major concern is the use of sanitary facilities.
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