Date: 2012-09-30

Patigi, a rural and agrarian community in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, is three hours from Ilorin, the state capital. It is very close to Niger State, as only a river separates it from the neighbouring state.

About a week ago, the ravaging floods from rivers Niger and Kaduna, coupled with heavy rainfall and overflow of Jebba dam, caused devastating problem in the area, leaving in its trail untold losses in cash crops, domestic animals, houses, among other properties.

Residents of more than 70 communities in Patigi Local Government were displaced just as 16 communities were completely submerged by the flood.

Sunday Tribune gathered that about one million hectares of farmland of rice and large number of hectares of maize worth more than N300 million were destroyed in some of the affected communities such as Kpata-Gbaradogi, Gunji-Saaci, Gbafun, Gakpan, Vuma, Esungi, Mawogi, among others.

It was also revealed that the area witnessed a disaster of such magnitude about 76 years ago, while it also suffered loss due to flooding at different times in the recent past.

Mohammed Ibrahim, who is now displaced with members of his family, said the flood had destroyed his place of abode, his belongings, farms, animals, boats and nets.

All he had with him were his soaked mattress and pots.

Some of the victims of the flood, who were resettled in the outskirt of the community on a piece of land given by Etsu of Patigi, were in bad mood when Sunday Tribune visited. 

Speaking with Sunday Tribune, leaders of Gunji-Saaci and Gbafun communities, who are now at the Patigi resetlement camp with their family members, said it was the seventh time they were relocating due to flood problem.

The community heads said flood usually destroyed their cash crops, food items and other propertie. The situation, they said, had made it difficult for them to garner enough financial musle to erect comfortable and permanent  structures to live in.

The people, who spoke in their local dialect, said all they needed was permanent relocation to a place and called on government to assist them to build befitting structures.

One of the victims is the state Commissioner for Solid Minerals and Industries, Alhaji Aliyu Umar, who said the affected people were helpless.

"There is nothing we can do but to pray to Allah to put a stop to all the misfortune. We never expected it so soon, but it has happened. We experienced this kind of flood, according to my grandfathers who is still alive, 76 years ago; way back around 1934 or1935. It used to come, but not as much as this year’s.

"Because of the construction of dam upstream, those of us down here are at the mercy of the flood. Before the dam, we knew when the flood would come and how to manage the resources, the level it would reach and how to control it. We even know the breed of rice to plant that no matter the level of the water, it would not affect it. 

"But after the construction of the dam, people living around riverine area as fishermen were forced to become farmers, which they were not, just because they don’t have alternative means of living. The flood comes and washes away the same land they use to plant their crops. This is devastating. 

"River Kaduna has a confluence of River Niger here in Patigi. The rivers affect us here. So many communities have migrated, naturally against their wish," he said.

Speaking when he led the state delegation to the areas on Thursday, the Head of Service (HOS), Alhaji Dabarako Mohammed, and Special Adviser to the Governor on Emergency and Relief Services, Alhaji Musa Abdulahi, said no lives were lost, adding that residential buildings, worship centres and schools were pulled down by the flood.

The HOS, who called on the Federal Government to commence the dredging of River Niger in order to avoid further disaster, especially in the riverine areas, also requested for immediate intervention of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to complement efforts of the state government and bring succour to the residents.

The HOS added that the Federal Government should continue the dredging of the River Niger beyond Lokoja and Barro and extend it to Jebba in Kwara State, saying, "this will ensure that the water path is deep enough so that the effect of flood will be so minimal before it comes to this side. Second, government has been so slow on Hydro Power Area Development Commission (HYPADEC) issue. If addressed by the president,it will go a long way to assist in solving the problem. HYPADEC can be able to do the dredging or build upland dam even if the Federal Government will not."

While addressing members of the affected communities in Gbaradogi/Kpata Regatta village, the HOS assured the victims of government’s support in the area of welfare, adding that government would provide relief facilities for them to cushion the effect of the disaster on them.

While assuring that government had set a machinery in motion to provide lasting solution in the affected areas, Alhaji Mohammed urged the people to vacate the river banks, stressing that the flood was likely to persist till the end of November.

Also speaking, chairman of Patigi Local Government, Alhaji Taoheed Lata, said the 48-hour flood alert, given by NEMA to residents of river banks was inadequate for them to relocate.

He said the agency should give longer notice in future, just as he called on the agency and government to come to their aid, saying the extent of the calamity was beyond what the local and state governments could shoulder.

"They should have given up to one month or two months notice. There are crops you can plant for three months and they will germinate. But with rain already going, it will be late to plant any crop again this year and the people will be the one to suffer for this," he said.

Also speaking, the acting village head of  Gbaradogi/Kpata Regatta village, Alhaji Mohammed Sha’aba, thanked the governor for the promise to provide welfare package to the people in the affected areas.

He appealed to him to take urgent actions that would alleviate their problems, stressing that government should provide alternative accommodation in the up-land areas for lasting relocation from the water-prone areas and build a new village at the new location offered to them by the Etsu of Patigi.