Flooding: NEMA Gives Alert To Kogi Residents In Flood Prone Areas To Relocate

As the Federal Government has given an assurance to mitigate the effects of the looming flooding across the country, Kogi residents in flood prone areas have been advised to relocate to high ground for their safety.

Already government has commenced preparation of Internally Displaced People’s Camps (IDPs) for those that are likely to be affected in the event of the predicted flooding.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has therefore, alerted people living in flood proned areas in Kogi State to move to higher planes to avoid the possible flood that may accompany heavy rains in the coming weeks as predicted.

The agency’s Head of Abuja Area Operation Office in Kogi, Mr Bitrus Samuel, gave the advice in Lokoja during a sensitisation campaign for people living in flood proned communities in the state.

He asked the people to start packing their personal effects as the country would soon start experiencing heavy rainfall as predicted by the relevant government agencies.

Samuel urged them to form themselves into groups to respond to the flood and identify nearby highlands that they can relocate to in case of flood to minimise loss of lives and property.

He warned the people against resisting relocation in their own interest, saying that camps were already being prepared for those of them that would be displaced.

Also speaking at the event, Mr Julius Mejiyan, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Mangement Agency (SEMA), said that nine local government areas in the state were proned to flood disaster.

He identified the local government areas as Lokoja, Kogi Bassa, Ibaji, Ajaokuta, Omala, Olamaboro, Ofu and Idah saying that the sensitisation campaign would be taken to the nooks and crannies of the council areas.

Mejiyan also said that internally displaced people’s (IDP) camps were also being prepared in readiness for the floods.

He added that the state government was not leaving anything to chance as far as the impending flood disaster was concerned.

Leaders of the various communities visited pledged to support the exercise by spreading the message to other residents in their communities.

The Head of Sarki Noma, Alhaji Bala Namama and the Madaki of Achanyi Adankolo , Malam Sidi Ali, said that flood disaster had become a yearly occurrence in their communities .

They pleaded with federal and state governments to come to their aid by constructing drainage channels to reduce the impact of the flood on their communities.

The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on investigation of Federal Government abandoned properties across the nation says the value of such properties has been put at N230 billion.

The Chairman of the committee, Ademorin Kuye, said this on Tuesday at the committee’s inauguration in Abuja.

“The figure is a conservative estimation carried out by the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) on the abandoned properties located in Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Kano, Kaduna and other cities,” he said.

He recalled that on March 12, the House of Representatives in unison considered a motion on the subject and consequently constituted a 17-member Ad-Hoc committee.

“The committee is to investigate the use and current status of such properties and to report its findings to the house.

“At the said session, the house expressed concern that many of such properties located in almost all the states of the federation were abandoned, especially after the Federal Government’s hurried relocation to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

“Many of these properties are now serving as safe havens for criminals. Some are illegally occupied, fraudulently transferred and wholesomely abandoned.

“It is on record that some of the properties are currently being used by individuals and corporate bodies without remitting any revenue, while their managers, in name, have not accounted for the revenue yield.

“The exercise is pursuant to Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 which empowers the House to investigate and expose corruption and waste,” he said.

Kuye promised that the House of Representatives would take necessary legislative steps to address national economic challenges, poverty, infrastructure decline, misuse of resources, revenue leakage, corruption and other ills.

He said that the committee would leverage on the opportunity to serve as a watershed to cushion the harsh economic realities by sourcing the most needed funds.

“We intend to consciously ascertain the existence and use of such Federal Government properties across the country with a view to facilitating re-investment end maximisation of their use.

“In executing the exercise, the committee will take into consideration the relevant provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended,” he said.

While inaugurating the committee, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker, said that the projects were visual manifestations of the failure to make plans and effectively and efficiently execute them.

This, he said, had hampered the nation’s growth and development for many years.

“The ad-hoc committee we have come to inaugurate today now has the duty to account for these investments and come up with a plan that puts these assets to good use in the interest of all our citizens,” he said.

Source: NAN

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Abdulrahman Obaje

Prince Abdulrahman Obaje is a Media and ICT Consultant, Journalist, online marketer, social media strategist, Mathematician and Computer Scientist based in Abuja, Nigeria. He is the Founder and the Publisher of The Informavores!. You can reach me on +234 805 939 5252 or send i-witness report directly to me on news@informavores.com.ng.

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The Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), has said that all estates built along the Abuja airport road where Federal Government plans to construct centenary village would be demolished.

The agency has also went further to warn developers whose estates have been marked for demolition to desist from changing the names of such estates in order to avoid demolition.

The decision by the council to proceed with the demolition of the estates brings to an end a long wait by developers who were told that National Assembly would intervene in the matter following claims and counter claims by the agency and developers over genuine allocation papers.

While the agency claims that the estate developers forged documents with which they lay claim to ownership of some of the estates, some of the developers have insisted that papers were issued by the FCT authorities. adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Some of the developers are already in court over the matter.

In a chat with CAPITAL POST, the head of the Development Control Department of the council, Yahaya Yusuf, said where about 32 estates are located along the Abuja airport road was already earmarked for the building of the centenary village in view of Nigeria’s celebration of 100 years of existence.

“Most of the estates were wrongly built on an area set aside for the centenary village. This was made clear from day one that people should not embark on illegal construction of estates in unapproved areas.

“Most of them (developers) proceeded to develop. We are also warning owners of such estates who are going ahead to change their names in order to avoid demolition. We know the names and where they are located.

“Some are still advertising non-existent housing estates where they take people to the bush and tell them that the estate will be developed here. The purpose is to swindle them and we are also warning the public to be wary of these characters”, he said.
The Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), on Wednesday said there was no going back on the proposed demolition of 32 illegal estates along the Abuja Airport Road.

Speaking recently, Mr Atebeji Nathaniel, the Assistant Director, Monitoring and Enforcement Department of the council told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Nathaniel said that the proposed demolition include illegal estates like Ejima Group Estate, Redwood Bidmusdruhill, Joafra, Efficacy Home, Bg8 Golden Tulip, the Light City and Greenland Estate.

Others include Matovinco Estate, Stone Mountain Homes, Lento Estate, RCCG Estate (site a, b, c and d), Rainbow, Annes Vile, Goldcity, Krista Court 1 Residential, Goshen 1 and 2, M/S Ray Inter Link Services.

Also in the list are Good Heart Group, Osilama, NEPA Cooperatives, Trade More, Doctors Court, Royalty, Civil Defence/Defenders, Rissun Luxury, Maziyagbe and Ozo, Pent House, Weather Field, Andican Hebron/Delta, Ese Global, Detahan and Jimsurve Estate.

He said that the demolition was being delayed due to National Assembly intervention and because the developers had taken the case to court “therefore, we are waiting for court’s verdict.”

“We know that the verdict will be in our favour because the developers built on illegal land and some with fake documents.

“We have made it clear to the public to desist from buying houses in the new estates springing up along the Abuja Airport Road because many of them are illegal.

“We do not take delight in demolishing peoples’ houses but we have to do our jobs toward sustaining the Abuja Master Plan to boost the economy and social development in the FCT.”

Full List of Estates Marked for Demolition
Name of Estate/Location

(1) Ejima Group Estate (Kyami)

2 Minnanuel Estate (Kyami)

1. Redwood/Bidmusdruhill (Kyami)
2. Joafra (Kyami)
3. Efficacy Home (Kyami)

6.BGB Golden Tulip Estate (Kyami)

1. Isvin Estate (Kyami)

8.The Light City Estate (Kyami)

9.Greenland Estate (Kyami)

1. Matovinco Estate (Kyami)
2. Gosa Estate (Kyami)

12.Okun Estate (Kyami)

13.Stone Mountain Homes (Pykassa)

14.Lento Estate (Pykassa)

1. RCCG Estate (Site A,B,C & D) (Pykassa)
2. Rainbow Estate (Pykassa)
3. Annes Vile Estate (Pykassa)
4. Gold City Estate (Pykassa)
5. Krizta Court 1 Residential (Pykassa)
6. Goshen Estate 1 & 2 (Pykassa)
7. M/S Ray Inter Link Services (Lugbe CRD)
8. Good Heart Group Estate (Lugbe CRD)
9. Osilama Estate (Lugbe CRD)

24.NEPA Cooperative Estate (Lugbe CRD)

1. Trade More Estate (Sabon Lugbe)
2. Doctors’ Court Estate (Sabon Lugbe)
3. Royal Estate (Sabon Lugbe)
4. Civil Defence/Defenders Estate (Sabon Lugbe)
5. Rissun Luxury Estate (Sabon Lugbe)
6. Maziyagbe & Ozo Estate (Sabon Lugbe)
7. Pent House Estate (Sabon Lugbe)
8. Weather Field Estate (Sabon Lugbe)
9. Andican Herbon/Delta Estate (Sabon Lugbe)
10. Ese Global (Kyami)
11. Detahah Estate (Kyami)
12. Jinsolve Estate (Kyami)
13. Growth Insight (Kyami)

Author Profile

Abdulrahman Obaje

Prince Abdulrahman Obaje is a Media and ICT Consultant, Journalist, online marketer, social media strategist, Mathematician and Computer Scientist based in Abuja, Nigeria. He is the Founder and the Publisher of The Informavores!. You can reach me on +234 805 939 5252 or send i-witness report directly to me on news@informavores.com.ng.

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