There are growing agitation by Nigerians for a full-scale investigation into the huge flooding in most of the country’s food belt with agencies of government seeming culpable in the unfolding disaster.
Several states in the country including Anambra, Benue, Kogi, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers have seen significant parts of their landmass overtaken by floods despite huge budgetary allocation yearly via the ecological fund.
On Thursday, frontline advocate and banker said the “federal government should get experts to investigate. He also asked the government to “come clean and spear head a holistic permanent solution.”
In a Financial Times report Thursday, Peter Obi candidate of Labour party in next year’s presidential election, said, “at a time when our country contends with rising food insecurity . . . the ravaging floods will have deleterious consequences on food production.”
All around the country, Nigerians are expressing deep anger and frustration at the government and its handling of the flood disasters unfolding in the country’s food-belt.
In a series of tweets, Nigerians are speaking up. Nelson said the situation was “getting worse here in Bayelsa.”
Colin Chidiogo said “I heard ecological funds meant to be utilized to prevent this developed wings and disappeared.”
According to Arinze Harrison, “ecological funds meant to mitigate such disasters are not accounted for and government officials seeking for climate finance from the western countries is laughable.”
Read also: Flooding: Suspend campaigns, Peter Obi tells Tinubu, Atiku others
Some other Nigerians speaking on Twitter have asked the political candidates to mobilise to help victims of the flooding and Labour party’s Obi has called on other candidates to suspend campaigning to visit the affected states.
Yesterday, the Presidency challenged states to give an account of how they spent amounts in excess of one trillion naira, allocated to them from the Ecological Fund to tackle floods and other ecological problems. The overnmentalso said that the release of water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroun was not responsible for the large-scale flooding in Nigeria.
Several states, including Benue and Kogi in the North-Central; Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta in
Reports say roughly N1 trillion, representing 2.2 per cent of the total budget for 2018, 2019 and 2023 was budgeted for ecological and disaster management. In 2018, 2.2 per cent of the estimated of N9.120 trillion budget, amounting to N198 billion was set aside for the Ecological Fund; in 2019, the 2.2 per cent amount of the budget of N132 billion was allocated for the Fund, while in 2023, 2.2 per cent of the N21 trillion budget indicated N462 billion allocation for Ecological Fund.
However a search by Vanguard of the website of the Ecological Fund Office for details of accruals and monthly/ quarterly releases to states and federal agencies did not yield the desired results. The newspaper also said a search of the budget implementation report equally did not yield the desired results.
