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Farmers In Flood-ravaged Area In Kogi Want FG’s Assistance

Farmers in Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi have appealed to the Federal Government to provide seedlings and relief materials to cushion effects of the 2012 flood disaster.

The farmers, in separate interviews in Ibaji on Sunday, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that they lost all their crops and granaries to the disaster. NAN reports that Ibaji Local Government Area was the worst hit area in the state by the 2012 floods.

This had led the Federal Government into evacuating all residents to Idah town in the state. The area is a border riverine community between Kogi and Anambra, comprising no fewer than 34 villages with farming as the major occupation of inhabitants. Mrs Eke Emeje, a farmer at Odeke village, told NAN that she left grains she recovered from her granary behind during evacuation of the area because rescue boats refused to carry goods.

"I waited for three days with some grains I took from my granary, but the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) refused to take any goods.

So, I had to leave everything to save my life. "At the camp in Idah we were not given enough food and when the flood receded we came back home to see that all our farms and granaries had been washed away. "Now, we are hungry and there is famine in our land.

The farming season is approaching and we have no seeds to plant. "Most of our houses collapsed and we are living in danger. Government should save us from starvation," she pleaded.

Pastor Jude Atta of the Glorious Faith Ministry, Idah and a cassava farmer at Ugwoda, told NAN that he lost about five hectares of cassava farmland to flood. He said he presently has no cassava stems to plant in the new cropping season. "We were expecting a bumper harvest then, but the flood came overnight and destroyed everything.

I lost crops spanning over five hectares. "Our granaries were washed away, and seedlings is a major problem we are now having," Atta said. He said one Mr Dave Ogwu, out of goodwill, had distributed seedlings to a few farmers in the area to alleviate their sufferings. Atta however noted that the seedlings could not reach all the farmers.

He called on the Federal Government to rescue the community by providing seedlings and relief materials to assist the inhabitants in agricultural activities. Another farmer, Pastor Peter Oyaka of Grace of God Mission at Enweli, told NAN that he lost both crops and economic trees to the flood.

He expressed regrets that relief materials did not get to some farmers and appealed to government to come to their assistance. "There is no hope for the planting season because our seedlings were washed away and we thought we were going to get improved seeds from the government.

"We heard of the relief funds but it did not reach the real farmers because what was meant for us were diverted. "It is very appalling and disheartening and I have been crying every day since the floods, hoping I can meet President Goodluck Jonathan to tell him the plight of farmers here," Oyaka said.

Mrs Lilian Amabi, a farmer at Unale, told NAN that her family escaped being wiped out at the farm settlement when their house collapsed. "Government said we should not take anything but now we have returned to nothing. How can we survive the hardship if government does not help us?" she demanded.(NAN)

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A/Ibom Govt. Set To Tackle Flood In Uyo Metropolis

Akwa Ibom Government says it has set machinery in motion to tackle flooding in Uyo metropolis. Mr Etido Inyang, the Special Assistant to Akwa Ibom Governor on Technical Matters, disclosed this in Uyo on Saturday while fielding questions from newsmen on the activities of his office.

He said that the flood normally experienced in some parts of the city would soon be a thing of the past with the various interventions by the government to tackle the challenge He disclosed that contract to handle the control of flood in the city had been awarded and that work had started. “Contract has been awarded and we need two rainy seasons to really take care of the situation.

``We have taken from the House of Assembly to Tropicana, behind Tropicana and across the third ring road to Mbiakok in Nsit Ibom council area.”

He said that another major drain would be constructed from the State Secretariat to IBB Way by Women Development Centre through the third ring road and empty into Ibesikpo valley. “So there is a well articulated plan already put in place to control flood in the state capital and its environs.

``I think in all, the administration has taken the issue of flood very well. ''We have a master plan that was done by TRO & Partners and daily, we are executing that plan.

By the next two rainy seasons, you will not see any flood in Uyo and its environs,” he said. The special assistant advised citizens to stop excavating the soil near the outfalls to avoid prevent erosion inherent in such practice. Inyang explained that it was part of the plan that made Itam junction and its environs now flood free. (NAN)

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Mixed Reactions Trail Planned Purchase Of 30 Planes By FG

Some prominent lawyers in Lagos on Friday expressed mixed views about the planned purchase of 30 aircraft by the Federal Government to assist domestic airline operators.

General Manager, Corporate Communications, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Mr Yakubu Dati, gave a hint about government’s plan in Benin on Wednesday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dati had said that the aircraft would be distributed to domestic airline operators, a departure from the old practice where they were given money from the Aviation Intervention Fund to shore their businesses.

Lawyers who spoke on the development included Prof. Itse Sagay and the Chairman of the Ikeja branch of the NBA, Mr Onyekachi Ubani. Mr Adetokunbo Mumuni, Executive Director, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, a human rights group, also shared his views on the development.

Sagay, in his reaction, said that the purchase of the planes would enhance safety in air travel in Nigeria. He said: ``what they are doing about the aviation sector is okay and it will enhance safety, comfort and regularity of air transport. ``That is good, but that doesn't mean that the railways and roads should be neglected. ``There is no question that little or no attention is being given to our roads and railways.’’

In his reaction, Ubani said there was an urgent need to make the nation's airspace safer and the purchase of the planes was in the right direction. ``I think it will be a very good thing if we have functional airlines. ``Buying new planes, however, would not guarantee total safety of our airspace if the regulatory agencies fail to do their jobs,’’ he said.

The NBA chairman also noted that there must be a corresponding commitment by the government to transform the roads and rail lines across the country. He said: ``Work should be done on the railway and all federal roads to ensure smooth transportation for Nigerians. ``The fact remains that only a little percentage of Nigerians can afford to travel by air and so the government needs to fix the roads and make them safer.’’

Mumuni, on his part, faulted the planned purchase of the planes arguing that it was a contradiction of the government's privatisation policy. He said that the government should use the money to provide infrastructure that would be of benefit to majority of Nigerians.

He argued: ``the reason we travel by air most of the time is because our roads are not good and the trains are not working. ``There are other things that will have better impact on the lives of Nigerians instead of using our collective resources to finance private businesses.’’

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Akunyili Denies Governorship Ambition

Prof. Dora Akunyili , a former Minister of Information, has debunked rumours of her ambition to contest the governorship election in Anambra in November 2013. Akunyili, who made this known when he addressed newsmen in Awka on Thursday, described the rumour as a big distraction.

``Must I run for every election, it is an unnecessary distraction," she said, noting that she might eventually re-contest the senatorial position “when the time is ripe’’.

 Akunyili, who is also a former Director-General of the National Agency for Food, Drugs, Administration and Control (NAFDAC), added ``when the time comes I will run for it and safeguard my vote’’.

 She warned rumour mongers to desist from their action.

 

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