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The United Nations has described the flood disaster in Bayelsa State as a crisis of major proportion that deserves attention.
This declaration was, yesterday, by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria and Representative of the Secretary General, Mr. Matthias Schmale, during a courtesy visit to Governor Douye Diri in Government House, Yenagoa.
A statement signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, quoted Schmale as likening the Bayelsa situation to the Pakistani floods that attracted global attention.
Schmale commended Governor Diri for his response to the plight of flood communities in the state, noting that what he witnessed required both material and moral supports.
His words: “What I saw yesterday reminded me of the images I saw of Pakistan a few months ago and the world took note of that. A third of Pakistan, the size of the United Kingdom, was under water. The images reminded me of that.
“We need to be very clear. This is a crisis of major proportion that deserves everyone’s attention.
“Secondly, my respect to you and your team and, of course, your deputy governor. I think it takes considerable commitment to now be in your third week of visiting flooded communities, which I have not seen anywhere else.
Schmale noted that the cause of the present disaster was climate change and that it would be the responsibility of the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, to speak emphatically during this year’s Climate Conference in Egypt about the need to invest in mitigation and adaptation measures.
Governor Douye Diri thanked the UN Secretary General for sending his Representatives to the state at a time it was in need of help.
