Flood Rankings: Unlisting of Bayelsa is Hallucinatory, Discriminatory Writes Prof Steve Azaiki

Professor Steve Azaiki, OON, MHR writes on Flood Rankings: Unlisting of Bayelsa is Hallucinatory, Discriminatory.

Flood Rankings: Unlisting of Bayelsa is Hallucinatory, Discriminatory Writes Prof Steve Azaiki

Professor Steve Azaiki, OON, MHR writes on Flood Rankings: Unlisting of Bayelsa is Hallucinatory, Discriminatory.

Expectedly, scathing reactions trailed exclusion of Bayelsa State from the top-10 states worst hit by the 2022 flood, as published by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq. Angry Bayelsans, Non-governmental Organizations and the Bayelsa State Government have vehemently condemned the ranking, which placed mostly, Northern States such as Jigawa, Taraba, Benue and others among the top-10 most-affected states, despite the glaring huge impact of the disaster on Bayelsa State.

Flood Rankings: Unlisting of Bayelsa is Hallucinatory, Discriminatory Writes Prof Steve Azaiki

As a Bayelsan and Niger Deltan, born and breed in the riverine and low topography of the environment mostly prone to flood, and a person who has traversed all parts of Nigeria, it is disgusting to me, like others, that Bayelsa is downgraded by the ministry in its evaluation of the impact of this year’s flood.

Irked by that vexatious ranking and exclusion of Bayelsa State, I make bold to state that the action of the Ministry and the Minister smacks of hallucination and discrimination against a state visibly taken siege by the flood, and seen by all those who are not biased or demented, as about the most impacted state. That Bayelsa is one of the states ravaged most by the flood, is a fact not known to Bayelsans and non-indigenes alone, but has also attested to by those who have seen the extent of the flooding and the incalculable damage it has done to the people.

For instance, Governor Douye Diri who is going round all parts of the state, exclaimed about the volume of waters that have swallowed most parts of the eight Local Government Areas in the State, holding families, institutions, official, business, domestic, aquatic and agricultural activities to a halt, with unquantifiable damage to properties and loss of lives.

Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi in an empathy visit to Bayelsa State, nearly wept when he got an aerial view of the submerged communities.
The Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, for the 2023 Presidential Election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who also visited the state, was emotional on seeing the damage caused by the flood.

Similarly, Pastor (Dr.) Paul Enenche, General Overseer of Dunamis International Gospel Center, could not hide his feelings when he observed the gory level of flood while he was in the state for annual thanksgiving service.

Dr. Azibapu Eruani, CFR, and others were stunned by the extent of devastation caused by the disaster. All these personalities and others have shown concern by donating monies and relief materials to provide succor for the victims.

As a Bayelsan and member of the Federal House of Representatives, representing Yenagoa-Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency, I am not too surprised at the degree of flooding. But, I am taken aback by the deluge of water and the effects of this year’s flood, incomparable to all the floods I have witnessed since I was born.

My heart bleeds, having toured round clans in my constituency to see the situation by myself, and provide little financial and material support to some victims of the disaster, and to the State’s disaster mitigation funds, through Azaiki Foundation. My heart bleeds seeing our people live in unimaginable and pitiable conditions, which the disaster has thrown them into, in their own domains, despite being aquatic people who know how to maneuver in marine environment. At various port of calls, I nearly could not withstand the sight of the damage caused by the flood, nor courageously listen to traditional rulers and others who narrated their bitter experiences to me.

The trauma caused the victims of the flood in my constituency, and the state as a whole has been worsened by the spurious unlisting of the state among the 10-most affected states. Bayelsans feel alienated by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and the Federal Government, said to have not swiftly come to their aid after President Mohammadu Buhari’s directive.

Bayelsans have become skeptical that with the biased unlisting of the state, based on warped indices, they could be sidelined or given ridiculous treatment in rehabilitation schemes of the Federal Government. They are angered that despite the state being about the most affected, besides being one of the highest contributors to the national coffers through the abundant crude oil and gas taking away from its flooded soil, the monies would as usual, be used to provide Lion’s share to states contributing pittances to the central purse.

During my empathy visits, Constituents, including classified traditional rulers, were vehement in their expressions. For instance, HRM (King) Bubaraye Dakolo, JP, Agedah the 4th, Ebenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom and Chairman of Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers; HRM (King) Funpere Akah, Ebedaowei of Gbarain Kingdom; HRH Jerry O. Burutolu, Ikpein the 4th, Amananaowei of Kaiama, displaced by the flood, hence represented by his Deputy Chief (Engr.) Philip E. Orubebe; HRH Christian A. O. Otobotekere, Amananaowei of Tombia, among others rebuffed the degrading of Bayelsa State. They spoke unreservedly about their suspicion of a plot to sideline the people in proper rehabilitation of the impact of the flood.

Indeed, the wild reproaches and apprehensions against the unacceptable appraisal by Minister Sadiya Farouq seem not be a misnomer, given the stark realities of the deluge of waters that have taking over the state, besides the visible impact. The flood has indeed affected the environment, destroyed properties, roads, bridges and farms, caused deaths, health hazards and economic hardship now and after-now. The people are presently suffering scarcity of food, petrol, gas, kerosene and other necessaries as well as price hikes arising from the flood and cutting of the state from the Patani, Ugheli and Okogbe axis of the East-West Road along neighboring Delta and Rivers States.

In addition, Minister Sadiya and her Ministry cannot dismiss the facts that these are real impacts of the flood on Bayelsa State and its people. It is also unarguable that Bayelsa is having the lowest land surface and serves as the unfortunate receiver of all excess water from dams, and or excessive rainfalls that cause perennial flooding.

Logically, if the Minister asserts that the states ranked tops are more affected than Bayelsa because such states are closer to the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon; Kainji and other dams in Nigeria and have more affected local governments than Bayelsa which has only eight, then, it put pays to state that we are the worst hit.

Bayelsa should rather be considered as the most affected because it is at the receiving end of the excess volumes of water. This is because the flood water flows from the dams, and or excess rainfalls into the Benue River, River Niger and the Nile River, and distributes to Rivers Forcados, Nun, Orashi, Taylor, Epie, Ekoli Creeks and then to many other rivers, tributaries, rivulets, creeks, forest and mangrove swamps that abound in the state. This network of flow therefore, puts riverine and coastal communities as well as offshore communities and cities in the low topography of Bayelsa State at greater risks than any other state.

Logically and factually, Bayelsa which is at the last point of the network of flow of water, and linked to the Atlantic Ocean, attracts the highest volume of the floodwater, retains it while it is even reducing in Northern States and others located on higher topography and with less number of water outlets. The high current of floodwater also moves natural elements like sand, silt, industrial and domestic wastes to deposit in the rivers in the Niger Delta.

More over if, the flood is mainly from excessive rainfall or climate change, geographically speaking, the Niger Delta or Bayelsa and the Northern states do not experience rainy season at the same time. This worsens the flood in Bayelsa and other Niger Delta states that experience more rainfalls and have longer rainy season than other states.

On the issue of using number of deaths as one of the yardsticks for ranking, it appears to be like the Covid-19 pandemic which the West and Europe were surprised at how Africa, notably Nigeria, manourvered the scourge, as if they wished Africans the worst-doom. In a similar vein, it appears Bayelsans were expected to die most in this year’s flood mishap, forgetting that Bayelsans and Niger Deltans are aquatic and marine people who have inborn skills to survive in the riverine environment. Pictures circulated online and in the conventional media affirm the stunning ways in which Bayelsans are trying to survive the flood. As a comic relief, they have nicknamed this year’s flood as the “New Landlord”. Yet, flood or water is no respecter of anybody. Many persons, old and young, even babies have died in this year’s flood disaster, like other years.

It is improper to cause more psychological trauma to a people embattled by flood misfortune. Given all the forgoing gory facts, why should Bayelsa be so excluded from the top-10 worst affected states? Minister Sadiya and her Ministry should answer this poser, patriotically. Not only that, she and the Ministry should apologize to Bayelsa, over the wrong exclusion of the state from the list of worst affected states. She should also visit Bayelsa State to see extent of devastation caused by the flood. It appears she did not do so before publishing the offensive ranking, neither does the Ministry has office in the state to observe, collaborate with the State Government to understand the extent of impact and get reliable data.

Though the flood has natural causes, there are also man-made reasons and negligence in terms of proffering effective solutions. Rather, so much money goes for mitigating the effects.

The lasting solutions lie in leadership will, proper planning, construction of more dams, maintenance of existing ones, canalization, dredging of major rivers and creeks, distilling, shore protection, land reclamation, among others.

At this year’s just-concluded World Bank and International Monetary Fund Parliamentarians Conference in America, where I represented Nigeria, as board member and Vice President of World Parliamenterians, African Branch, I raised the issue of flood ravaging the country and called for global support towards providing reliefs as well as lasting solutions. This is besides letters that I have written to the Federal Government and its agencies. The World Bank and IMF have a joint-fund totaling about $80billion US Dollars to combat flood and other environmental problems. The Federal Government of Nigeria should key into the fund to tackle flood mishap in Nigeria.

Flood, especially, this year’s flood is like a war without physical soldiers wielding guns, and it is as bad as a war situation as the case of Bayelsa State and other states prove, hence should be handled frontally by all stakeholders, national and state governments.

It is not late for Sadiya Farouq and the Ministry to include Bayelsa State in the list of states affected most by this year’s flood disaster. She should do so with utmost sense of responsibility in order to show sincerity and empathy to Bayelsans and Nigeria. That way, she and the Federal Government, could win the trust of Bayelsa State.

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