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From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
The member representing Ikwo/Ezza South Federal Constituency, Ebonyi State, in the House of Representatives, Hon Chinedu Ogah, has urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South East Development Commission (SEDC), Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Federal Ministry of Agriculture to provide relief materials, including food items, mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, building materials, medicines, clean water and temporary shelters for the victims of flood in Ikwo Local Government Area of the state.
He also called for emergency provision of agricultural support, including seedlings, fertilisers and farm inputs, to the victims.
In a motion of urgent public importance on the floor of the House over the natural disaster, Ogah said the flood disaster, which occurred late last month, claimed lives, including women and children, destroyed over 500 houses and submerged over 1,000 hectares of rice, yam and cassava farmlands.
He also revealed that the disaster destroyed livestock and displaced over 2,000 families who are currently taking refuge in primary schools and church premises without food, potable water, bedding or medical supplies.
“I rise under Order 8, Rule 5 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to move this motion as a matter of urgent public importance.
“Notes that, in the early hours of 23 September till October 2026, unprecedented torrential floods caused the Ebonyi and Cross River rivers to overflow their banks, submerging over 10 communities in Ikwo LGA, including Ndiagu Amagu, Ndufu Amagu, Ekpa-Omaka, Okpotiumo, Igbudu, Inyimagu, Enyibichiri, Alike, Amudo, Idembia in Ezza South, and other riverine communities;
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“Also notes that according to reports from Ebonyi State Emergency Management Agency (EBSEMA), the State Ministry of Environment and community leaders, the flood claimed lives, including women and children, destroyed over 500 houses, submerged over 1,000 hectares of rice, yam and cassava farmlands, destroyed livestock and displaced over 2,000 families who are currently taking refuge in primary schools and church premises without food, potable water, bedding or medical supplies;
“Aware that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) in its 2025/2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction listed Ebonyi State, particularly Ikwo, Izzi, Abakaliki and Afikpo LGAs, as high-risk flood zones, yet no proactive dredging, drainage or early warning action was taken;
“Worried that Ikwo Local Government Area, which is the food basket of Ebonyi State and contributes significantly to Nigeria’s rice production, is now facing imminent food insecurity as a result of this disaster, with properties worth billions of naira lost, including 15 schools, shops at the building materials market and farmlands;
“Concerned that victims are presently sleeping in open spaces and are exposed to water-borne diseases like cholera, diarrhoea and malaria;
“I urge the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South East Development Commission, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, as a matter of necessity and urgency, to provide relief materials, including food items, mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, building materials, medicines, clean water, temporary shelters and emergency agricultural support, including seedlings, fertilisers and farm inputs, to the displaced persons in Ikwo LGA and its environs.
“I also urge the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Ecological Fund Office to immediately release ecological intervention funds for the dredging of Ebonyi River, construction of embankments and completion of the EIB-NEWMAP drainage project in Ebonyi State to prevent future occurrence,” he said.
