November 09, (THEWILL) – The Bayelsa state Traditional Rulers Council has called on the federal government to take the front stage in the post-flood reconstruction of the state and post-flood rehabilitation of Bayelsans, who are also Nigerian citizens.
They said the situation in Bayelsa is dire, saying the disaster will require multiples of billions of naira to fix and that the state government does not have the funds to do it alone.
Addressing a press conference in Yenagoa, the state chairman of Bayelsa state Traditional Rulers Council, King Bubaraye Dakolo, who was flanked by other first-class traditional rulers, also called on the International Humanitarian Organisation, Locals and philanthropists, to come and lend a helping hand to the state government in this battle of survival of flood-ravaged Bayelsa state.
He said the royal fathers have observed that not only did the 2022 flood unleash unprecedented havoc in Bayelsa state and beyond, but it also opened the floodgates of ignorance on the subject of the misery flood waters could unleash on people who live on accurate lowlands adjacent the mighty Atlantic ocean.
His words, “We believe strongly that the misinformation we have been confronted with this season, may have directly led to the observed extremely slow, and almost shameful response by statutory agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria to the plight of the over one million victims of the 2022 flood disaster in Bayelsa state.
“We did not mince words in condemning the complete absence of agents of statutory federal government agencies and Ministries saddled with the job of rendering humanitarian assistance in our domains at times such as these.
“Rather we were seeing oil workers in their coveralls, safe in their shuttles, going about their greasy oil business all over our flood-ravaged state.”
King Dakolo said it is pitiable there is no evidence yet about any intervention from the oil industry to the flood-ravaged people of Bayelsa state or “could it be that they also wished us all dead.”
“While the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management has not furnished the traditional Rulers of Bayelsa state with the actual monetary value of human life in this country of ours. Suffice it to say that numerous lives of future leaders have already been lost, and many more may still be lost in our kingdoms, as a consequence of the flood if the federal government does not quickly lend a hand to support the efforts of the Bayelsa state government in ameliorating the citizens’ plight.”
The royal father said major federal and state government infrastructure around the state, such as roads, electricity, and Bridges have been badly damaged, isolating Bayelsa state from the rest of Nigeria.
“Private properties such as houses, cars, farms and businesses worth multiples of billions of naira have been destroyed and their owners displaced by this deluge of unprecedented monumental proportions.”
They, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to come and empathise with the flood-ravaged people of Bayelsa state, who are fellow citizens of this great nation.
“We believe strongly too that the President’s visit will help heal the deep injuries caused by the way and manner federal authorities have so far responded to the flood-ravaged, internally displaced people of Bayelsa state during this unprecedented flood disaster.”
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