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… Residents Call for Support
By Young E. Freeborn, Warri
Unenurhie community, Evwreni kingdom in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State has been thrown into mourning as the ravaging flood affecting most parts of the country claimed one life and destroyed residential houses, businesses and farmlands in the community.
According to reports from the community, a middle aged man, whose name was given as Mr. Dennis Agorigo Asekevwe, drowned on his way to harvest cassava in his farm that had been covered by the flood.
The corpse was found days later and had since been buried according to the culture and tradition of the Unenurhie people “with respect to such kind of death,” our source said.
The late Mr. Dennis Agorigo Asekevwe was survived by a wife, children and many family members.
Meanwhile, many residents of Unenurhie community have been displaced and rendered homeless as many residential houses in the community were equally flooded. At the moment, many of the internally displaced people are now taking refuge at the community primary school and the community town hall.
Speaking to our correspondent, the community’s president-general, Mr. Peter Maison, whose house was also affected by the ravaging flood called on the state government, Delta Central representatives at the National Assembly, religious homes, corporate organizations and good spirited individuals to come to their aid as the flood has cost untold hardship and starvation amongst the people.
“As you can see, the entire community is flooded at moment, including my house. We are now taking refuge at this primary school and the community town hall. We have lost one to the flood few days ago and many people are suffering badly.
“My people, including school children swim everyday in this water to harvest cassava and other crops affected by the flood. In fact, if you see our mothers and wives and our children in this jungle justice and how to survive this sudden natural disaster, you will even weep for them. Therefore, I want to passionately appeal to our state government and those representing us at the National Assembly to immediately come to our aid.
“We really need their support in terms of financial aid and provision of other relief materials to all the internally displaced people at the moment. The people also need healthcare services as they seem to work in this water all through the day to harvest crops from their affected farmlands,” he said.
Also speaking on behalf of the Odion’Rode-in-Council of the community and the internally displaced persons, the Akpohor (deputy speaker) of Unenurhie community, Dr. Johnson Abrucha, also called on religious homes and good spirited individuals especially sons and daughters of the community in diaspora to come to their aid and help cushion the devastating effects of the ravaging flood.
Hear him: “Though my president-general have said it all, but I still want to call on our religious homes especially the churches to help our people in the area of food supply and other relief materials. In the same way, I want to beg good spirited persons that have love and sympathy for the flood victims in this untold hardship and starvation by coming to our aid now. We are here calling our well-to-do sons and daughters to show their love and care to us in the midst of these natural calamities.
“Again, we want to call on both the federal and state governments to immediately release funds to manage the flood and the flood victims. Our politicians and political leaders in this country can’t continue to use us to enrich themselves and leave us to suffer after every election. This is where and when we need them to prove to us their true representation and good governance they so much chorused,” he said.
Some of the victims who also spoke to our correspondent called on the government to boost internal security as many residents of the community were now sleeping in the open without proper shade and coverage. They pleaded with the government to “remember them when relief materials and other palliatives would be shared for flood victims across the country.
Over one hundred households were affected by the flood in Unenurhie community as at the time of filing this report.
