Traditional rulers in Bayelsa State have urged the Federal Government to dredge the Niger and Benue rivers as part of efforts to reduce the impact of floods in the state.
The monarchs led by the chairman of the Traditional Rulers Council, Bubaraye Dakolo, Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom, made the call while addressing a press conference on the flood disaster on Tuesday in Yenagoa.
Dakolo also called for the building of a dam on the River Benue to contain the overflow of water during floods to protect Bayelsa State, which is in the flood plain of Nigeria.
He lent his voice to calls on the Federal Government to urgently assist the state in addressing the huge humanitarian challenges and infrastructure damages caused by the 2022 flood.
His words: “The situation in Bayelsa is dire! The disaster will require multiple billions of Naira to fix. The traditional rulers cannot do it. The state government cannot do it alone. The Bayelsa State Government does not have the funds to do it alone.
“So, the Federal Government has to take front stage in the post flood reconstruction of the state and post flood rehabilitation of Bayelsans who are Nigerian citizens too.”
Read also: Understanding flooding in Nigeria and finding solutions
Dakolo said “Major Federal Government and state infrastructure in and around the state, such as roads, electricity, bridges, have been badly damaged isolating Bayelsa State from the rest of Nigeria.”
He called on local and international humanitarian organisations and philanthropists to come to the aid of the state government to salvage the situation.
The monarch warned that unless the Federal Government urgently steps in to assist the state, many more lives could be lost in addition to the ones already lost even as the flood is receding.
He acknowledged all those who have contributed in ameliorating the plight of the victims of the flood especially Governor Douye Diri and other leaders and representatives of the people for leading from the front.
On the 2023 flood, he stated: “We want FG to deploy the right expertise and the resources from the oil and gas proceeds to outrightly prevent or reduce next year’s flood and therefore our ordeal to the barest minimum.”
