Afam Aminu Chimezie, Onitsha
Federal Government and its agency, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have been blamed for the untold hardship and loss of lives being experienced by victims of the recent flood disaster in Anambra State and across the country.
Anambra State Government and her emergency response agency, SEMA headed by a former Secretary to the Anambra State Government, Chief Paul Odenigbo has also shared in the blame for their inability to render assistance to victims of flood disaster in the State.
Last Friday about seventy-six people died in a boat wreck while traveling on the Ogbaru waterways from Ossomala to Ogbakuba market to sell their premature farm produce already destroyed by the rampaging flood.
Dr.Bonny Agballah, an Onitsha based medical practitioner told our correspondent in Onitsha yesterday that though the situation had overwhelmed the Federal Government, and that government had not done enough to publicize the rampaging flood.
He added that even if the Federal Government had given earlier warnings about the flood through her relevant agencies, no serious arrangements were made for potential victims under such emergency situations.
Dr Agballah berated the Federal Government and NEMA for not being proactive in times of emergency in the country.
He noted that it would saved more lives and millions of property lost to flooding across the country if the Federal Government and her relevant agencies had understudied and enforced evacuation of villagers from flood prone areas and kept them in camps as it is done elsewhere.
While apportioning blame on National Inland waterways Authority (NIWA), for not living up to expectations, the medical doctor also scored Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) low on the management of the flood crisis in the state.
He said that SEMA which ought to have provided IDP camps and other relief materials for victims had not done much to ameliorate challenges faced by victims of the unfortunate disaster.
On NIWA, Dr Agballah said that it was unfortunate that the agency had not been enforcing the use of life jackets by engine boat operators.
