Public schools in areas prone to flood in Delta State have been taken over by snakes, even as many of them have collapsed, a woman leader at Okoh community and a flood victim, Mrs. Ify Obi, told the United Nations delegation to Delta State at a town hall meeting organized by the state government in Asaba at the weekend.
Mrs. Obi said the Okoh/Amakon primary school in Okoh town is one of the schools that have been taken over by snakes and other dangerous reptiles, thereby preventing pupils and teachers from attending classes.
While appealing to the UN to assist the Nigerian government to tackle the problem, she lamented that the flood is taking a toll on them.
Joy Obiorah, a staff of Okwe General Hospital, and victim of flood, said, “the flood has completely finished us. No food, no house and many of us are being affected by all kinds of ailments”.
She said her greatest regret is that her parents have become refugees in a remote community because there is no money to erect a new building for them after flood destroyed her father’s house last year.
The state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, on his part, told the UN delegation that the flood had a huge impact on the state and its agricultural products.
Uduaghan said: “Many of the victims were affected by various forms of diseases. The state did its best to avert the trend by evacuating victims from affected communities to new locations across the state to check the trend, especially nursing mothers and their babies”.
He said a committee of experts was set up to access the extent of damage, and that their recommendations were sent to the UN for immediate assistance.
He flayed local government chairmen for not distributing relief materials to victims.
Responding, Valerie Amos, UN under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, acknowledged receipt of the state’s report. She also commended the state government for the steps taken to ameliorate the plight of the victims.
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