Flood: Bayelsa govt bemoans non-receipt of share of N1.6b 2012 intervention fund

Bayelsa State Government, on Wednesday, expressed displeasure over the non-receipt of its share of the N1.6 billion from the Federal Government for states affected  by 2012 flood disaster.
The Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha Jonah (rtd), expressed the displeasure when a delegation of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Yenagoa.
According to him, Bayelsa has yet to receive its share of the fund which was approved during a National Economic Council meeting in Abuja, after the 2012 flood incident.
“If Bayelsa State had had access to the fund, it would have assisted us in putting certain measures in place to mitigate the effects of perennial flood here in the state,” he said.
Jonah stressed the need to decentralise flood intervention efforts down to the local government level and construct structures to accommodate displaced persons at the grassroots.
The deputy governor recalled the collaborative efforts of the state government, NEMA and the military during the 2012 flood in the state and said it was commendable.
He stressed the need for the team to have a report that would reflect the situation in Bayelsa after its tour of the state.
Jonah emphasized that the twin problems of flooding and erosion had been ravaging the state over the years.
The deputy governor however expressed hope that the predicted 2018 incident would not be as ravaging as that of 2012.
Earlier, the NEMA team leader, Umar Mohammed, said they were in Bayelsa to assess the level of preparedness of the state government ahead of the predicted 2018 flood.
Mohammed said that the team had a plan to tour the state with the assistance of officials of the State Emergency Management Agency to assess flood-prone areas.