By Desmond Ejibas
Port Harcourt – The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is constructing emergency shelters to provide temporary accommodations for victims of flooding in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states.
Dr Samuel Ogbuku, the Managing Director of NDDC, told journalists in Port Harcourt on Tuesday that the commission would also supply relief items for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
He said that the NDDC had initiated these projects to alleviate the hardships faced by IDPs during periods of flooding in the Niger Delta.
“We are constructing two flood emergency shelters in each of the states of Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers to ease the suffering our people have endured over the years.
“The shelters, designed as mini communities, will feature facilities such as schools, police post, and a cafeteria, among others.
“NDDC is taking proactive measures to mitigate the impact of flooding on the population, rather than waiting for people to suffer before we intervene,” he explained.
Ogbuku also said that the NDDC’s efforts aimed to put an end to the use of primary and secondary schools as temporary shelters during floods.
“We developed this concept after realising that over the years, IDPs take refuge in schools, preventing pupils and students from resuming their studies after the floods.
“This occurs because the IDPs defecate and damage school buildings, making it impossible for academic activities to resume under such conditions,” he added.
The managing director stressed that the shelters were being constructed in areas prone to heavy flooding and assured that the project would be expanded to other NDDC states.
He described the shelters as multi-purpose facilities that could also serve as camps for various events and programmes after the flood season.
Ogbuku clarified that while the commission could not prevent natural disasters, it could intervene to reduce their impact on the population.
“This is why NDDC intervened to rehabilitate the East-West Road, making it accessible, so that when the floods come, their effects will be less severe.
“We do not want our people to face undue hardship or suffering when the floods hit the Niger Delta region,” he reassured.
Ogbuku also noted that NDDC was currently addressing the issue of rising ocean levels, which may soon flood communities in Bayelsa, Delta, and Ondo states.
According to him, the commission has already commenced ecological study of the affected states, though expressing concerns about the substantial cost involved in addressing the ocean surge.
