Maiduguri Flooding: ActionAid demands rapid provision of shelter, food, and essential services
By Gabriel Ewepu, Abuja
As people of Maiduguri and adjoining communities reel in the recent devastating flood disaster, ActionAid Nigeria, AAN, Friday, asserted that thousands of victims remain without shelter, food, and essential services.
The Deputy Country Director, AAN, Suwaiba Dankabo, during a press conference held in Abuja, while commending the government’s remediation efforts in the disaster, said the affected people still remain without shelter, food, and the essential services for survival.
Dankabo also explained that the sheer magnitude of the flood disaster cannot be overstated, hence, it requires immediate unified action in Borno Yobe, Adamawa, and all the states that are affected in the region with communities already grappling with poverty and displacement due to conflicts are now facing the additional burden of floods.
She said, “So we can see that there is intersectional issues, flood, poverty, hunger. In Maiduguri alone, 37 bodies have been found, reported deaths, 58 persons with severe injuries, 389,267 persons displaced, 7,125 households have been affected in nine local government areas, and 7,337 land families have been washed away, with over 414,000 people utterly affected, wandering in search of shelter, security, and hope.
“More than 114,000 internally displaced persons have been directly affected, with many of their shelters affected and critically need to be washed as well as sanitation and hygiene facilities.
“These facilities have already been submerged, leaving people without clean water or sanitation. Road and transport networks have been destroyed, making it even harder to deliver much-needed aid.”
Meanwhile, she disclosed that ActionAid Nigeria is currently on ground working with local governments and international partners to provide immediate relief materials whilst conducting rapid assessments, distributing emergency food supplies, clean water, hygiene kits, and other essential items to affected communities.
However, she also advocated for survival-centred, need-based, and gender-responsive action, adding that distribution of items should be deployed in a respectful manner that reserves and preserves the dignity of people affected and their rights as human beings whilst ensuring accountability in the disbursement of the relief materials.
“Distribution of items should be deployed in a respectful manner that reserves and preserves the dignity of people affected and their rights as human beings. We must also address the risk of disease outbreaks.
“As we know, floods create perfect conditions for the spread of waterborne diseases. Immediate initiatives must be put in place to mitigate these threats. Clean water access, sanitation, and healthcare services are critical.
“There is no need diverting anything that is meant for these people at this crucial time. We cannot trample on the rights of displaced persons in the rush to deliver aid.
“Every step of this process must respect their humanity. We must also work in full collaboration with credible and community-rooted civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, and volunteers to ensure that aid distribution is not only
efficient but transparent, monitoring and evaluation are crucial,” she added.
The humanitarian manager at AAN, David Habba, said the overflow of the Alau Dam was made-made and could have been avoided if proactive actions were taken.
Habba, who lamented that the disaster has caused lives to be lost and rendered thousands homeless and displaced, accused leaders of failing citizens despite having the resources to prevent the disaster, including the technology, skill, science, and resources to be able to prevent the magnitude of destruction and the loss of lives, adding that the issue of flood in the northeast has become a norm with no solution in sight.
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