Floods: Over 100,000 persons displaced in Kogi

October 19, 2012 by Success Nwogu, Ilorin 

 

Stranded residents in Kogi State
| credits: File copy

Kogi State Governor, Capt. Idris Wada, has said that over 100,000 persons have been displaced in the state by the recent floods in the state.

He also said the flood destroyed properties worth billions of naira in the state.

Wada who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Yomi Awoniyi, stated this during his visits to  Igah, Ogurugu, Ojoh and Atuoacha communities of Enugu and Anambra states on Thursday.

He urged Kogi State indigenes living in some communities in the two neighbouring states to return home, adding that adequate measures to help them rebuild their homes had been put in place.

He said the government was building low cost houses, providing farm inputs and improved seedlings to farmers as well as nets to fishermen to aid the flood victims.

Meanwhile, the governor has denied involvement in the impeachment of the former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Abdullahi  Bello, and other principal officers.

Wada, in a statement on Thursday by his Special Adviser,  Media and Strategy, Mr. Jacob Edi, said  he had remained   committed to the principles of Separation of Powers as embedded in every modern democracy since he assumed office.

He stated that the issues as contained in the impeachment notice, were purely internal problems of the legislature.

He said any attempt to drag his name as the mastermind of the impeachment was not only unfortunate, and puerile, but should be treated as a ‘desperate attempt by somebody on a free fall  to divert the attention of the public.’

Wada said the  reasons for the  impeachment were contained in an impeachment notice, adding that they were well spelt out.

“For any one in doubt, Bello and his cohorts were accused of poor leadership and high handedness. To be precise, the former Speaker was accused of being insensitive to the feelings of the citizenry as shown in his refusal to show reasonable concern first when 19 worshipers, and two soldiers on national assignment were gunned down by unknown persons in the Central Senatorial District and later during the flood that ravaged nine local councils in the three Senatorial districts of the state.

“He was accused of adjourning the Assembly indefinitely and of absenteeism during the visits of President Goodluck Jonathan and Senate President David Mark to the flood victims,” Wada said.

He  stated that  members of the Assembly paid a courtesy call on him to intimate him of the leadership change and to introduce the new leadership, in the spirit of Separation of Powers.  

“In fact, there is a standing rule for the top echelon of the judiciary and legislators to have express passage to see the Governor, whenever they so desire. Bello himself has been a beneficiary of that rule.”

SOURCE: The Punch - Nigeria's Most Widely Read Newspaper 19 October 2012.