By Patrick Ochei
The Chairman of Oshimili South Local Government Area of Delta State, Hon. Kelvin Obi Ezenyili has distributed relief materials to the Internally Displaced Persons in the two officially approved camps in Asaba and another unofficial one at the Bridge Head by the 2nd Niger Bridge.
The Chairman who was empathetic to the plights of the IDPs, encouraged them to keep hope alive, just as he said that flood disasters all over the world are usually natural and not any man’s fault.
Ezenyili who said even though the water was already receding while projecting the next one month to be rounding off the camp regime, assured them that Government would always provide as much for them to eat for as much they remained in the camps.
The Chairman also assured them of Government’s plans and commitments towards ensuring that the IDPs resume farming and life afresh immediately after their stay in the camps.
Meanwhile, the former Commissioner for Humanitarian and Community Support Services and PDP candidate for Delta State House of Assembly, Oshimili South Constituency, Barr. Bridget Anyafulu who was in the company of the Chairman, gave an understanding of the roles the Delta State Government, the Oshimili South Council and other critical agencies had played to ensure adequate evacuation and camping of the IDPs for survival, adding that arrangement was in the offing for post camp relief of the IDPs.
According to the Humanitarian expert, “When the flood came, we immediately swung into action and evacuated all the victims. They were all safely brought to the camps already prepared ahead of time.
“We separated the children in primary and secondary schools and attached them to schools around that are suitable for them. The women in the camps who are wives and mothers were made to cook and feed their husbands and children. Nobody does the cooking for them, but them for themselves.
“We are taking food and toiletries to them on a regular basis according to their needs. We have sick bays in all the camps to handle trauma and emerging ailments. We have followed the international best practices in matters of emergency, and I can assure you that Delta is ahead in emergency response and care in the whole of the federation. So, we are providing food, drugs and toiletries for everybody by the seconds. We are constantly checking through the camps to know and take record of things they don’t have to provide them with such immediately”, Anyafulu explained.
Asked if she was challenged by the emergency effect of being under pressure to meet the demanding needs of the IDPs, she insisted she had never been challenged about emergencies, adding that she had trained herself overtime on issues of humanitarian responses and services, and accordingly, there was no need to fret because the government was adequately responding and making the job easier.
She therefore called on individuals and corporate entities to support the government in bringing succour to the IDPs by providing them with necessary assistances.
Anyafulu further commended the Oshimili South Chairman for yet another gesture, maintaining that the issue of survival was key on the emergency radar of the State Government, and so everybody was made to gear up to regularly meet the target of constant supply of foods and medicines to the camps.
She noted that the State had gone far on emergency cases of evacuation, camping and need for post flood supports, hinting that proper assessment had been carried out on how to clean up the flood ravaged environments in line with adequate mechanism to resettle the victims.
The Oshimili South team visited the Ogbe-Afor IDPs Camp, the Oneh IDPs Camp and the 2nd Niger Bridge Head Camp where food items and other materials ranging from yam, plantain, garri, beans, noodles, onions, salt, diapers, antiseptics and more were delivered in abundance to the camps.
However, at the Ogbe-Afor IDPs Camp, the Camp Commandant, Mr. Okpor Daniel appreciated the humanitarian efforts of the chairman for the relief materials, thereby appealing to him to initiate the way forward for the IDPs to resume normal life after the flood.
In company of the Chairman was a former chairman of Oshimili South Local Government, Hon. Chuks Obusom who received wide ovation from the IDPs who knew him well as a grassroots person.
