…As cholera outbreak compounds state’s woes
Borno State in the Northeast, is faced with dire situation, including outbreak of diseases and dislocation of school calendar as well as infrastructure weeks after severe floods.
On the 9th September, residents were struck by a strange flood which spread into almost every part of the city, destroying houses, private residences, public infrastructures and government offices, including the geological garden. Scores of residents were killed. While over two million people were displaced, according to the state government.
Those affected by the severe flooding have been crying for help almost a month after the incident, many who were displaced from their homes due to the devastation of the flood are yet to return.
Some have been making efforts to repair and rehabilitate their homes in anticipation of their return, but thousands of others are yet to have resources to carry out the necessary repairs and the government has not been able to support them financially. The state government has so far received about N20 billion into the relief basket fund donated by individuals and institutions across the country, but government has yet to start distribution of these resources to affected persons.
Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum said the government has to wait for the comprehensive report of the technical committee on the flood disaster, to determine the actual number of affected persons and extent of the damage to homes and public infrastructure before it could support the affected person.
Read also: Fear of disease outbreak grows in Maiduguri following severe flooding – MFS warns
Though, in the previous week, the governor also announced that each of the person that is severely affected by the disaster would get between N800, 000 and N1 million, and that those that are partially affected would get between N100,000 and N200,000.
Some analysts say that going by the governor’s disclosure, a lot of people that suffered serious losses and were severely impacted may not have enough resources to cope with the life after the disaster and to also rehabilitate or repair their homes.
Victims cry for help
Speaking to BusinessDay, some of the residents, who have returned to their devastated communities, said they lost all that they had laboured for over the years as their areas are still submerged in the flood.
Resident Babagana Gambo said the flood was the worst in 30 years. According to him, majority of the houses in the affected communities were destroyed by the flood, leaving the occupants displaced and stranded.
He expressed disappointment at the pace at which the government is handling the verification and registration of flood victims.
“I dislike the way and manner the state government is handling our plight. This is unfair to us. Almost a month that flood sacked us from our homes nothing has been done. We are losing confidence in the government. We need assistance, let them give us little so that we can reconstruct our homes. But it seems they are not willing to help us. May God not put us to shamed,” he lamented.
Another resident, Bakura Yusuf of the same Bulabulin community said the flood remains a nightmare to him, adding that apart from bringing down their houses, their foodstuffs were washed away by the flood.
He said the government urged them to enter the camp but because of criminals that loot our property in our absence, we decided not to go to the camp for the safety of our property.
“We have not received any item from government since the flood disaster. Since the incident occurred, the governor has been to other communities affected except Ruwan Zanfi and Simari behind Dikwa Estate.
“We are calling on him to come to our rescue. I have two wives and 10 children; we have nothing to eat for now. We want the world to come to our aid. The government should help immediately,” he said.
For Fati Suleiman of 505 Quarters which was equally submerged by the flood, “Our major challenge here is that the water is still stagnant in the houses. Many could not still have access to their houses due to stagnant water in the neighborhood, we have lost everything even furniture, electronics and all items were damaged by the water. We want the government to come and fumigate the houses and take the water out.”
The President of the Yoruba Community in Borno State, Saka Ganiyu Abiodun, lamented that the flood disasters have destroyed homes, sources of livelihoods and property, noting that victims have lost everything they laboured for.
Read also: Borno floods: Beyond relief
“Presently, we have a list of 4,600 members majorly artisans and struggling for survival were affected by the recent flood disaster and most of the people are artisans including vulcanizers, mechanic, traders, business centre owners and people who provide menial services.
“We are finding it difficult to access basic necessities like food, clean water, and shelter. Our community, known for its resilience, is on the verge of collapse. Our people have lost everything, in fact, many of them had nothing expect the clothes they are wearing. We all know that Customs Areas, London Ciki, Rawan Sanfi, Gidan-Danbe and Gomboru are badly affected. Majority of these people reside in these areas before the flooding occurred,” he solicited.
Saka stressed that floods have resulted in the displacement of hundreds of families, destruction of homes and infrastructure, and lack of access to basic necessities like shelter, food, clean water, and healthcare. He solicited to individuals, corporate organisations and government agencies to come to their aid.
“To alleviate the suffering, the community urgently requires relief materials, including food supplies, clean water, clothing, blankets, medical supplies, and temporary shelter. Financial donations are also needed to rebuild damaged homes and support families who have lost everything,” he said.
Cholera outbreaks recorded
Amid the severe flooding, the state Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Professor Baba Malam Gana has announced the outbreak of cholera in Maiduguri, and some parts of the state.
The announcement of cholera outbreak followed the confirmation of seventeen cases by the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja.
At a media briefing in Maiduguri, Baba Mallam also confirmed that there have been no reported fatalities associated with the outbreak but reported that out of 451 suspected cases, 148 samples were tested, with seven returning positive results.
The Commissioner identified affected local government areas to include Maiduguri Metropolitan, Jere, Konduga, Mafa, and Monguno, attributed the outbreak to the recent flood disaster, which has contaminated water sources and sanitation facilities in the metropolis.
While Borno State Ministry of Health in collaboration with NCDC, WHO, UNICEF, MSF, ALIMA, IRC and other Partners recorded 451 cases, tested 148 samples, results show 20 RDT negative, 128 RDT positive, with 17 culture Positive for Vibrio Cholerae, and zero mortality (CFR:0 %). The LGAs mostly affected are MMC, Jere, Konduga, Mafa and Monguno.
“At this stage, I wish to categorically inform the good people of Borno State and the media that we are having a cholera outbreak in the state which is highly contagious and can be transmitted via fecal-oral route with an approximate incubation period of 2-5 days.
“By this declaration, under One Borno Health Team, we are appealing to all line Ministries, Agencies and Departments (MDA’s), and partners to join hands and provide optimal responses in order to control the current cholera outbreak. The media, a vital arm of the society is hereby called upon to partner with government and appropriately inform, sensitise, create awareness and educate the public about the dangers of cholera and how to prevent it.”
The Commissioner of Health also confirmed that the state has received 300,000 doses of cholera vaccines from the federal ministry of health and have so far vaccinated over 287,000 people mostly women and children in IDP camps. He said the state is awaiting additional 600,000 doses which will greatly help in minimising cases of Cholera.
“We know that with the floods that we had in Maiduguri, cholera is one of the waterborne diseases, that we were expecting, and we were prepared, we started the vaccination, and that is the degree of level of preparation,” he said.
Borno’s schools suffer again
Schools in the state and education generally have been affected and at the receiving end once again. First, it was Boko Haram Insurgents’ attacks on schools. This time around, it is flood, which led to the closure of many schools, and turning of school premises into IDP camps.
The State Commissioner for Education, Science Technology and Innovation, Lawan Abba Wakilbe has disclosed that six public schools were still inaccessible and cannot be used for learning following the devastating flood.
Read also: Borno flood: Several LGAs yet to reconnect city centre, as rice farmers still in distress
Wakilbe lamented that recent flood disaster has left huge setback to the education calendars, noting that he initiated a damage assessment so that all destroyed school infrastructure would be put back very quickly to enable children return to classrooms.
He noted that his teams inspected majority of schools in the flood affected areas like Abbaganaram, Goni Kachallahari, old Maiduguri, Gomboru and others most of the children are without uniform or necessary writing materials.
“And then when you look at houses, most of the refuse evacuated is what is left of clothing and what is left of furniture. And this clothing included school uniforms. So, to rebuild resilience to education is a very good thing. So, what we are doing now that is to evacuate the flood victims that currently occupied our schools, especially Gwange 1 &2. Then there are schools that the fences have collapsed and some unscrupulous persons are taking advantage of sleeping in our classrooms. So far, we have evacuated 12,000 people from schools so that pupils can go back to class; we are running behind other states.
“Some of our schools will start in the next two weeks to come, because there are like five or six schools that have not dried that we are waiting for the soil to dry to see what effect it has on our buildings.
“Then, there are other schools that are not good enough for learning because the flood has severely affected the buildings and we need to demolish them and rebuild them again.
‘You see, we are passionate about education of our children because they can stand for their right. the Borno State Government committed to reopen schools. Not only that, we want to ensure that school environments are safe. That is why any school you go to; you discover that work is ongoing- to fumigate and wash the whole schools and their environs.
“Then there are other schools that still have victims. We are trying to move them to camps, because the government is now trying to adopt camp merger, where school camps will be moved out for children of the victims to go to school. Other parts of the states are studying, and it is unfair to deprive worst hit areas we are trying. We want to focus on retention. When you go to our local governments, you discover that most of our people have lost their livelihoods, so children come with nothing to schools,” he said.
Zulum blames residents, vows not to allow construction on waterway
Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum has blamed those who built houses on the river banks for obstructing the passage of water from River Ngada, which was destroyed by the recent flood.
Zulum conducted an assessment of some vital infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and hospitals damaged by the flood disaster that struck Maiduguri Metropolis and the surrounding local government areas.
The tour included critical government-owned facilities like the Gwange Maternity Hospital, road networks and Fori, Moro-Moro markets, and Gwange bridges.
He said: “The quantum of the destruction was enormous; you can see we had just visited one place; it is very unfortunate that some people choose to build houses right inside the waterways which obstructed the water passage. Otherwise, the water could have passed onto the lowland without affecting the main city.
Despite several warnings, many residents continued to build in high-risk areas, leading to over 70% of Maiduguri being submerged.
“We will not forfeit the lives and properties of the entire people of Borno just for a few individuals. I want to instruct the Borno State Ministry of Works and Housing, the Borno State Information Geographic System, the flood committee, the police, the DSS, and other relevant security agencies not to allow anyone to build within the waterways.”
Read also: The flood menace: Nigeria’s IDPs number swells
We will speed up the process – Committee
Dauda Illiya, chairman publicity, Media and Publicity subcommittee of the Borno State Llood Relief Distribution Committee, explained that they are working with traditional rulers, opinion leaders and community leaders to identify genuine households that are affected by the flood disasters.
He further added that they use cluster method so as to dispatch the teams into these different clusters, so that within one two days, they would cover the entire ward.
“So, that is why the committee is painstakingly and meticulously following the verification exercise, and you all know that it will take some days before you conclude certain wards, but that is why we’ve also engaged core members. We have 62 of them, and we have also increased the number of those that will be conducting the verification exercise. So, now we have many teams.
“With regards to the amount, as at last week of September, 2024 the government has received donations worth N17 billion, and out of this amount, the amount that was redeemed was slightly above N10 billion.
“So that is the method we have adopted now, and I assure you that it is, it is working, we will not compromise standard, but we make sure that we speed up the process to ensure that within the stipulated time, all the affected wards in Maiduguri metropolitan, Jere and Mafa area are covered.
“Let me start by acknowledging the genuine concerns of victims of this flood disaster. We acknowledge their concerns, and we are working as seriously to see that we speed up the process, but what we have observed on the field, is that some households will come forward to claim that they are genuine victims of this disaster, but after verification, we realise that they are not victims.
“So, this is the assurance that we are giving. Yes, when we started, the process was slow, we shall speed up the process. So, let them exercise patients. We are working. We’ve also felt their concerns. We also feel their pain. We assure them that we will conclude within stipulated time. So that they will be able to get the assistance by donors, government agencies and even the state government,” he disclosed.
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