By Ummi Ismaeel,
Minna
No fewer than 150 communities in Niger State are now under water as a result of flood.
The state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, who disclosed this, also explained that 20 out of the 25 local government areas were affected by the flood occasioned by heavy rains this year.
Governor Bello blamed the development on the opening of the spillway gates of the three hydro dams in the state – Shiroro, Jebba and Kainji dam – with each spilling well over 6000 metric litres of water every second, the first of such action in the history of the state.
The N80 billion worth investments by Sunti Sugar Company in Niger State has been washed away by flood, leading to several hundreds of farmers and staff of the company losing their jobs, the governor said, while exchanging views with newsmen in Minna.
Bello further said that the magnitude of the disaster bedeviling the state was now beyond the capability of the state government and therefore called for interventions from the federal government and well meaning international agencies.
The disclosure, Governor Bello said was the outcome of four different committees dispatched to assess the extent of the flooding across the state, pointing however out that some people are reported to have died as a result of the incidents.
According to the governor, “We have been crying out but no one appears to be listening to us”.
He therefore suggested the establishment of “Special Intervention Fund” to support the state in addition to asking the federal government to make the Hydro Power Producing Areas Development Commission a reality, adding that he has already started consulting the governors of Kwara, Kebbi, and Kogi states on how to ensure the immediate takeoff of the commission.
On electricity supply to communities in the state, Bello blamed the DISCOs for the problem consumers are facing, saying that the Abuja Electricity Development Company (AEDC), despite support from the government, which included; granting the company loan, has failed to provide meters to consumers and instead continues to give estimated bills to the people.
“They AEDC says people are refusing to pay for electricity consumed but I say they are not refusing to pay because they cannot pay for what they did not consume”, adding that the company has proved ineffective in the discharge of responsibilities to customers.