
Unless nature intervenes, the flood situation currently ravaging some parts of the country will surely reach Rivers State. It would be recalled that the Nigerian Meterological Agency (NiMET) and its sister agency, the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NHISA), have predicted more flooding this year in the country.
According to NiMET predictions, 20 states and more will be affected by floods this year.
The high risk States, according to the agency, are Kebbi, Jigawa, Borno and Bauchi States.
Others are Taraba, Plateau, Bayelsa, Rivers, Adamawa, Kano and Akwa Ibom States.
Cross River, Abia, Imo, Enugu, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Oyo and Ekiti States are also affected.
NiMET bases its forecasts on the rainfall distribution and amount of rainfall recorded so far in the country.
As at the time of filing this report, several States across the country are reeling from the effects of severe flooding.
Reports on the effects of the flooding so far obtained show that Borno State has lost 4,989 shelters/houses that have been flooded, while 40,000 people have already lost, farms covering 4,000 hectares land, including crops that were also destroyed.
Also in Adamawa State, 962 houses were destroyed, 979 people were displaced, while food and crops running into millions of Naira were destroyed.
In Yobe State, 58 Houses were destroyed, three deaths were recorded, four people sustained various degrees of damage, while farms and crops running into millions of Naira were destroyed.
Similarly, reports also have it that in Lagos State, three children and four adults died in the floods.
In Jigawa State, 50 people lost their lives and thousands of houses were damaged, including farms and crops.
Similarly, in Ebonyi State, 15 houses were destroyed, farms, including rice fields, cassava fields and yam fields were also affected.
Similarly, in Niger State, a total of 35 people were killed, 51 others were injured, while 8,215 houses, including fields were destroyed.
The situation was also reported in Gombe State where a three-year-old girl was reportedly killed, a two-year-old girl was critically injured and properties worth millions of Naira, including farms and crops which is destroyed.
Also, in Cross River State six people died, houses were submerged, farms were destroyed including crops, schools and other facilities were also affected.
Over the years, Rivers State has not been spared as far as floods are concerned.
It can be noted that the Orashi region of Rivers State is a flash point as far as flooding is concerned.
In fact, this area is 80 percent agricultural, and any distortion in its farming system can affect not only the region but the entire state.
The 2012,/2013,/2014/,2015 even 2020 floods have wreaked countless damages in the area.
The Orashi region, for example, was a flash point in the 2020 flood.
Deaths were recorded in Omoku, Ubie and Engenni Kingdoms while places like Andoni, Opobo, Akuku-Toru and others suffered series of damage and destruction of public and individual properties.
In most of these areas, farmers lost their crops and properties, and some of them have not yet recovered.
Its implications are not only dire for the state but for the country as a whole.
Although the current flooding experienced in parts of the country is yet to be contained in the state, there are reports of panic and anxiety, especially among farmers.
According to a native Joinkrama in Engenni Kingdom, farmers are already thinking about early harvest because of past experiences.
Sodin Akiagba, a native of Joinkrama Engenni Kingdom in Ahoada-West Local Government Area told The Tide in an exclusive interview that farmers are the major victims of flood disasters in Engenni Kingdom.
He said that his people who are mostly farmers often suffer from flood disasters
“I can tell you with authority that our people are confused about what to do, some of them have started harvesting their crops before time to avoid them being destroyed by the coming flood”, said Akiagba.
Akiagba regretted that no farmers received any palliatives because of the previous floods in Engenni Kingdom.
According to him, apart from the expected lack of food, great poverty will also result in that situation.
Akiagba said the only way to protect farmers from frequent flooding is to introduce crops with a shorter life span.
He also said that the dredging of the Orashi river will reduce the impact of flooding in the region.
Also speaking on The Tide, the State Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Chief Ofimaobari Igwe, said food crisis is imminent in the country, without intervention from the state and Federal Governments.
Igwe said for the past few years, millions of farmers across the state and country have suffered the effects of flooding.
He said the farmers lost millions of Naira to the floods without compensation from the governments.
The AFAN Chairman said that the government should stand up to their responsibilities by providing relief materials during the flood.
“If what I’m hearing around the country is anything to go by, then we’re in trouble in the country.
“My advice is that the government should step up and protect the farmers from this problem.
“They should make available palliatives and plants with a shorter life span”, he said
He called on farmers in Rivers to be vigilant and observe all flood signals.
Also speaking, a farmer in Etche Local Government Area, Mrs Kaina Amadi told The Tide that she is a victim of flood disasters in the state.
He said that previous flood disasters have affected his farming activities, stressing that his crops were lost due to flooding in the area.
Amadi said that this year, he is fervently praying that what is happening across the country should not reach Rivers State.
He however expressed hope that Rivers State will not witness flooding this year.
Also speaking, the Eze Odinta Nanya of Etcheland Eze Ndubuisi Nwankwo, asked for the support of farmers in the state from the federal and state governments.
He said that farmers are always at the end of each flood season.
“Farmers need the government’s support because they often lose everything during floods,” he said.
The traditional ruler also expressed concern over the devastation by flooding in other parts of the country, stressing that the situation could lead to food shortages next year if not managed properly.
Also, a civil society activist, Miss Blessing Digbani, regretted that farmers across the country lost their farms due to flooding.
He said the situation could lead to mass poverty in the country.
Also, Prince William Chinwo said that society will suffer the effects of the current flood disaster in parts of the country.
He said Rivers State and other parts of the Niger Delta should put in place proper mechanisms to help farmers when the incident hits the region.
For Dan Mbachi, another civil society activist, it is time for the government to wake up to support farmers in the state.
He said most of the farmers would lose their sources of livelihood if what happened in other parts of the country came to the state.
An environmentalist, Barrister Iniuro Wills has called for a flood master plan for the Niger Delta.
He also sought the support of the farmers.
The Zonal Director of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr Godwin Tepikor could not be reached for comments but an official of the agency said they have sensitized the farmers on how to manage the situation in case of flooding in the state .
According to him, the farmers have become sensitive and vigilant with the intention of starting the harvest of crops and hope that with the low rainfall this year, the situation will not be the worst as expected.
It is clear that going by the flood reports especially with the continued destruction of farms across the country, Nigeria may experience food shortages next year and beyond and the bad inflation situation may also worsen. in the country.
By: John Bibor & Adigun Oreoluwa