As the National Emergency Management Agency and the State Emergency Management Agency commenced the distribution of relief materials to flood victims in Anambra State, the Umuzu community in Ogbaru Local Government Area is protesting over their exclusion from the list of beneficiaries.
The community claimed that it has so far lost no fewer than 200 families to the flood and sees no reason why it should be excluded from palliatives meant for flood victims.
It was gathered that so far, a total of 61,070 persons who were displaced and affected were captured in a list but none of the displaced persons in Umuzu was included.
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According to the list made available by the two bodies, only seven local government areas were shortlisted out of the eight council areas and the Umuzu community was not on the list.
The Coordinator, Umuzu Flood Committee and Coordinator Children of Farmers Club, Chris Okwuosa, while speaking to journalists in Awka on Tuesday, said Umuzu community is one of the worst affected areas during the flood where over 200 families have been missing for about a month now.
Okwuosa said, “We have made representations before the state government and the relevant agencies involved and even during the flood, no medical team visited Umuzu as was promised by the Commissioner for Health as well as the Chairman Ogbaru Local Government Area.
“This is a community that had over 200 families missing and exposed to the cholera epidemic and the authorities did not find it proper to include Umuzu.”
According to a letter to the Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, the community is demanding:
“Provision of fishing gear and other tools to victim households, creating a value chain that will off-take harvested fish from them for further processing.
“Appointment of coordinators to oversee these activities in the affected communities and council areas.”
“The children of Farmers Club with her wide range of experience in coordination of various agricultural-related empowerment activities in rural communities as well as having facilities for fish processing is best suited to coordinate these activities across the state.
“Your Excellency may wish to approve the provision of the following for distribution to Two Thousand Households in the flood-affected communities.
“1,000 roll/bundles of fishing.
One operational vehicle for distribution across affected communities as well as logistics for distribution and funds as takeoff grant to CFC as for offtake activities.”
