Red Cross Society of Nigeria Anambra State Chapter has urged Governor Chukwuma Soludo to establish permanent holding centers across flood-affected communities in the State.
Kingsley Okoye, State Executive Secretary of the establishment made the call on Monday in Amawbia near Awka while briefing Journalists on its preparations ahead of the predicted flood in the State.
He said the proposed permanent holding centers, if established, would save cost of governance.
“The idea of using churches and school premises for camp purposes should be abolished, it encourages corruption in the system.
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“The use of churches and school premises in those flood-affected communities should be ban because, at the end of the menace, the places are always left messed up destructively by the users, costing the government of the day to spend a huge amount of money putting them back in good shape.
“There is always a serious mess up in every flooding year across premises of churches and schools in all the affected communities.
“It’s good to establish the centres permanently with necessary building facilities to help safeguard the relief materials meant for the flood-affected victims.
“Most of the materials donated by the government and other concerned organisations are always taken away unnoticed at the end of the camping due to the porosity of the area.
“If the holding centres are well structured with model toiletries, conference halls, canteens, and lodging rooms; the churches, government, organisations, and individuals can hold functions and programmes there, in turn creating job opportunities as well as generating revenue to the state government,” he said.
Okoye however commended the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), for donating relief materials worth millions of naira to 600 households affected by the 2022 flood in the State.
He called on residents of riverine areas in the State, particularly in Ogbaru, Awka North and Anambra East/West Council Areas, respectively, to move to designated high grounds to avoid being caught up with the coming flood.
