Succour As DESOPADEC Distributes Massive Relief Materials To Flood Victims In Burutu, Patani, Bomadi LGAs

By Binebai Princewill 

In what many have described as an unprecedented gesture, the  Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) on Tuesday distributed massive relief materials to flood victims in Burutu, Bomadi and Patani Local Government Areas of Delta State. The Liberator Newspapers Worldwide can report

Addressing the press during the distribution exercise yesterday in Warri, Hon. Askia Bashorun Ogieh (JP), Managing Director (MD) of DESOPADEC noted that the commission inline with its commitment to meet the people at the point of their needs in their mandate areas have provided relief materials for the flood victims in Burutu, Patani and Bomadi Local Government Areas. 

Hon. Bashorun Askia Ogieh (JP) stated that he had to come to personally inspect and flagg off the distribution exercise of relief materials for the Ijaw ethnic nationality in Delta state.

The DESOPADEC MD/CEO asserted that the commission was disturbed and pained seeing how the flood have displaced and sacked many out of their houses and their source of livelihoods completely destroyed. 

Bashorun noted that providing relief materials for the flood victims is the little the commission can do at the moment to cushion the effect of the flood on the victims, stressing that DESOPADEC is ready to reach out to all ethnic nationalities in its mandate areas and beyond. 

He noted that he has recently  supervised and flagged off  the distribution of relief materials for flood victims in Urhobo and Ndokwa ethnic nationalities in Delta state.

However, Askia had charged representatives of the various Local Government Councils to equitably distribute the relief materials to the flood victims in the various Local Governments without sentiments and political colouration.

While commending the various Local Government Chairmen who were on ground to receive the items for their efforts so far, Bashorun asserted that they must ensure that the items are not hijacked in any way as they must get to the common man in the communities, adding that they must go beyond those in the IDP Camps as logistics will be made available for transporting the relief materials to all the affected local government and communities. 

DESOPADEC as an interventionist agency will work through council chairmen – Agediga 

In his reaction during the press briefing, Amb. Dr. Comr. Shedrack Agediga, Executive Director (ED), Planning, Research and Statistics (PRS), Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) noted that the commission is not a Government of its own but an intervention agency that is set up to complement the efforts of the Delta  state Government. 

Amb. Agediga noted that the commission had earlier dispatched its media team to ascertain the impact of flood across the various Local Governments and the communities. 

The DESOPADEC ED, PRS maintained that the challenge in the Ijaw Local Government Councils is majorly due to the fact that flood victims have refused to come to the IDP camps set up by the Local Government Councils. 

Speaking further, Agediga opined that Local Government as a third tier of Government is more closer to the grass root people more than any other organ of Government, hence DESOPADEC is distributing the relief  materials to the Council Chairmen that knows their people and communities more than anyone else for onward distribution. 

Dr. Shedrack further stated that while the commission is still monitoring the flood situation across the state, he revealed that DESOPADEC has already procured some drugs and other medical stuffs to carter for the medical needs of the people which he said  are yet to be distributed. 

Amb. Shedrack reiterated that whatever DESOPADEC is doing is to complement the efforts of the Delta state Government, stressing that the state Government is also doing its part in reaching out to the flood victims as well as the Local Government Council Chairmen .

The food materials provided by DESOPADEC is overwhelming – Aguanah

Chairman of Patani Local Government Area of Delta State, Hon. Isaac Aguanah in his remark while receiving the relief materials for flood victims in Patani Local Government Area stated that the relief materials provided by DESOPADEC is overwhelming. 

He had particularly prayed for the management and entire board of DESOPADEC for the Almighty God to give them more wisdom, knowledge and strength to continue to pilot the affairs of the commission for the good of the people. 

Hon. Aguanah in speaking about the ravaging flood in Patani Local Government Area, regretted that four persons have died from the flood so far in the Local Government as the entire Local Government have been completely submerged by the flood, stressing that Patani cannot be accessed by land now. 

He continued that the only land that is still visible is the S.A Olotu’s road, a place he said all the flood victims are now living, adding that the relief materials will surely be distributed to all victims across the Local Government Area. 

Bomadi Is Completely Finished, We Are Living Under The Mercy Of God – Angadi 

On his part, Chairman of Bomadi Local Government Council, Hon. William Angadi have stated that the entire communities in Bomadi Local Government Area have been submerged by the ravaging flood, adding that there is no single land in Bomadi for anyone to stay. 

According to him, his people are now living in canoes and some sort of makeshift homes, stressing that people cook, sleep and stays mostly in their canoes, describing the situation as unfortunate and indescribable. 

Hon. Angadi while appreciating DESOPADEC for the relief materials had assured the commission that the materials will be distributed to the victims across Bomadi Local Government Area equitably. 

The Liberator Newspapers Worldwide can report that Dr. Paul Bebenimibo, commissioner representing Ijaw Ethnic Nationality on the board of DESOPADEC was fully on ground for the distribution exercise yesterday. 

Some of the items distributed to the flood victims include mosquito nets, foams, kegs of palm oil, kegs of  groundnut oil, spoons,  cups, plates, buckets, rubbers, Indomie noodles, bags of rice, bags of beans, bags garri, sacks of pure water , bed spreads, wrappers, slippers, bags of salts, tubbers of yams and others too numerous to mention.


Photo Credit The Liberator Newspapers Worldwide