BREAKING NEWS, Politics
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Stella Adaeze Oduah, a senator from Anambra State and former minister of Aviation, advocates government compensation for victims of floods as well as construction of dams to eliminate perennial flooding along Niger-Benue axis
STELLA Adaeze Oduah, a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a former minister of Aviation, wants compensation for victims of perennial flood disasters in the country. Oduah also wants the federal government to revisit the proposed construction of dams that would contain the water influx whenever Lagdo Dam in Cameroun is released.
The Senator made the proposals through her motion titled: ‘’Construction of Dams to remedy the Perennial Flood Disasters in Nigeria,” which she tabled before the Senate and debated as the second order of the day at the Senate Plenary on Thursday October, 19 2015. In her lead debate Oduah talked about the plight of avoidable losses to millions of Nigerians living along the Niger – Benue River trough. She spoke elaborately on the casualty figures and the disclosure by the Nation Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, estimating that in 2012 alone, the country lost more than N2.5 trillion to floods.
She said the flood situation had further worsened with the challenge of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, and had caused irreparable damage resulting in permanent devastation of vast stretches of arable lands nationwide. The situation, Oduah further argued had brought about loss of food, cash and export crops as well as revenue for both individuals and government.
Several senators supported the former minister’s motion including Bukola Saraki, Senate president, and resolved to urge the federal government to convene a stakeholders meeting to ex-ray the recurring situation with the view to proffering a lasting solution to flood disasters. Similarly, the Senate urged the federal ministry of Water Resources to revisit the proposed construction of Dasin Hausa Dam and all other dams to take in the flood waters from Lagdo Dam in Cameroun.
It also commended the NEMA, PCFR and other relevant agencies, organisations and individuals for creating awareness which had led to reduction in causality level.
— Nov 23, 2015 @ 12:25 GMT
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