Flood Victims from Orashi March to Government House, Rivers State

Some flood victims from the local government areas that make up the Orashi region of Rivers State are marching down to Rivers State government house, following what they describe as government's insensitivity to their plight. 

A Socio-political group, Orashi Assembly, had threatened last week, to mobilize those affected by the natural disaster to government house. Leader of the group, Abbah Rufus, revealed that the group intends to take this line of action because it has exhausted all ways of persuading the state government to visit or set up adequate camps for displaced persons. He claimed that the state government has not shown enough sympathy to people of the region, where his wife, Suzette Wike coincidentally hails from. He also made comparisons with the attention given to traders whose shops were recently razed down in a fire accident at Fruit Garden Market in D-line. 

Meanwhile, Governor Nyesom Wike, on Saturday compensated traders of the market and flagged off the reconstruction of the market. It was a ceremony of sorts, as the foundation stone was laid by the Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. Dave Umahi. Governor Wike presented bank drafts of N400,000 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira) to traders with shops, while traders who operate as attachments got N300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira).

Reacting to the threat of the Orashi Assembly, Rivers State Commissioner for Information, Emmanuel Okah, had the following to say:

You cannot build one case of sympathy on the misfortune of another. We can't at this time join issues with them (those who have threatened to relocate to government house) because of the calamity they have faced. 

The case of Orashi is a lot different from that of the Fruit Garden Market. For the market, there's a permanent solution, but the flooding requires a more sustainable solution.

The state government is working through the local government councils to address the problems in orashi. Some require immediate solutions, while others are temporary. When things like this happen, you don't expect solutions in 24 hours. The state government is not sleeping.

It is not whether the Governor pays a visit down there 300 times a day. What is important is that government is doing something about the situation. The effort so far put up has been in collaboration with the state and LGAs. I don't want anyone to think the government is insensitive, that'll be unfair.

The people of Orashi need to be assured that the government will not abandon them. We will step up effort to see that a long-term solution which is sustainable is provided and we will touch more people than we have touched so far. Their problem is our problem, he said.

I spoke to the Commissioner for Environment, Prof. Roseline Konya, when I caught up with her on the 13th of October at a HYPREP event. She asserted that government at all levels are doing what they can. Here is the link to the interview I had with her:  Interview with Commissioner for Environment, Roseline Konya

Despite these, questions have been raised as to the specific solutions being provided, and the amount so far spent. This, the Commissioner for Information had no answers to. Recall that in February, Governor Wike donated N200m to IDPs in Benue State during the herdsmen invasion of communities, in solidarity to the Governor of Benue who is now of the PDP, Samuel Ortom. His donation of over N150m to the traders of the Fruit Garden market is also assumed to be a quick response because the acclaimed APC governorship candidate, Tonye Cole, had made some monetary promises to the traders.