PBA ReporterConvener of the Big Tent coalition of Political Parties, Civil Society Organizations and Social Movements for a Third Force, Prof Pat Utomi says the movement has a moral obligation to mobilize and channel energies, material and medical resources to alleviate the sufferings of victims of the current flooding across the country.
Lamenting that up to 700 people are established to have died so far this year as a result of flooding in Nigeria, Utomi regretted that government has through negligence allowed the worsening of the misery index in Nigeria by failing to implement recommendations made over the years.
That is more people than in some of the World’s Civil Wars, Prof Utomi lamented, while addressing a global network of Obi-dients across the world in a zoom meeting on Sunday.
Utomi wondered how government could ignore the horrifying flooding which he has observed aerially flying into Port Harcourt, Asaba and Abuja in the last week.
The Professor of Political Economy, expressed concern that the federal government had not yet declared a state of emergency on flooding even with the magnitude of the disaster.
In his remarks titled ‘we must rise to the challenge of flooding’ Utomi who is also founder of the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL), said “I first want to empathize with all who have lost dear ones and the many more whose property, including life-long investments have been lost to the floods.
“With pain I recall having served on a committee set up by the Delta State Government on the effect of flooding a decade ago. I not only served on that committee but canvassed civil society and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) involvement.
“At a personal level, I also organized a Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) emergency response initiative sending truckloads of mattresses, food items, and in addition to consumables largely from my corporate friends, I followed up with personal visits to communities along the Gongola River in Adamawa State, my Native Delta State and Anambra State where I collaborated with the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha visiting IDP camps in the company of the Archbishop of Onitsha, Dr. Valerian Maduka Okeke,”
Utomi also called on all Nigerians to show care to their challenged neighbors because in solidarity our humanity is elevated.
The NCFront and Labour Party leader further remarked that he made a series of suggestions back then on how we could avert this outcome of climate change which he feared then could be a seasonal issue for our future, but not much was done in terms of planning to avert future flooding through a network of Dams that would capture flood waters for all season farming and irrigation.
He said that sadly, once the momentary pain cleared Nigeria returned to business as usual.
Utomi insisted that if there is imperative for showing seriousness in the new world that involves anticipating problems and preventing them, the people can foresee from deepening their misery to rise as citizens to heal the wound of the floods.
He urged that Nigeria must set out to construct a network of Dams down the Niger and Benue Rivers as proposed in the Obi/Baba Ahmed manifesto.
Such he said can help capture the flood waters that currently devastate lives and convert them into services of irrigation for farming all year round.
He charged Obi-dients saying “we must respond today to the dangers of health epidemic. I must thank Doctors and Medics for Peter Obi for the mission they have in Delta State, offering medical assistance to flood plains in Delta State.”
He welcomed the input of the Health Deep dive team presented by the focal person for Health in the Big Tent Policy and future view shadow group Dr Lorretta Ogboro-Okor on how to prevent the floods from becoming a health care epidemic and disaster.
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