The people of Patigi local government area of Kwara state are in a fix whether to relocate to the temporary camp provided by the government as a result of folding. UMAR ABDULWAHAB reports.
Patigi, a riverine community in Patigi local government area of Kwara state is four-hour drive from Ilorin, the capital of Kwara state.
Largely populated by Nupe speaking people, the community which also shares boundary with Niger state is known for its rich cultural heritage, with fishing and rice farming being the major occupation of the people.
For decades, the community had been contending with perennial flood that sometimes comes like the proverbial thief in the night, sweeping away farmlands, animals and leaving behind submerged houses, dislodged electrical poles and environmental degradation.
For instance, in 2020, Patigi recorded heavy loss from a flood that hit many communities in which over 100,000 hectares of rice, maize, cassava and millet farms were reportedly destroyed by flood in the town.
Also, no fewer than 20,000 farmers were reportedly displaced by the same flood which also hit Moro, Edu, Pategi, Ilorin South and Ilorin West council areas.
In some cases, lives were lost and critical national infrastructures and assets threatened.
One of such worst hit facilities is the Patigi General Hospital.
To salvage the facility from extinction, the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Commission Development (HYPPADEC) in August this year flagged-off the construction of 570 metre span erosion control/dyke projects in Patigi.
HYPPADEC’s director of Engineering and Technical Services, Ipilakyaa Daniel said were it not for the commission’s quick intervention, Patigi General Hospital might not have existed beyond a year.
“Erosion had eaten deep into the hospital and threatening lives. From what we have seen, I am sure in the next one year, this hospital would not have existed any longer”, Daniel said at the flag-off the N212 million project.
Paying the supreme sacrifices
As at the last count, at least seven lives have so far been reportedly lost to flood disaster in different parts of the state within this year alone, according to HYPPADEC.
In the latest flood which occurred in Patigi town a fortnight ago, at least 1, 300 households with 2, 800 persons were affected in the aftermath of the disaster that also left large hectres of farmland and houses submerged. No life was however lost in the incident.
Victims count losses
Narrating their ordeal, a resident of the area Mohammed Kolo said the damages done by the flood cannot be immediately quantified but estimated it to be in hundreds of millions of naira.
He lamented that the affected persons now have to pay between N1, 500 to N2, 500 per head to ferry in a paddling canoe to their homes and villages.
“Even that one is very risky, anything can happen. The canoes are being operated by individuals who charged between N1,500 to N2,500 per head. If you are alone you would be charged N1,500 but if you are with a machine is N2,500 per head.
“Depending on its size, the canoe cannot take more than 20 persons and 7-10 machines at a go in order not to capsised,” he said.
Speaking further, Kolo said, “Most of the people have left their homes; those that are still there hang their wrappers up and sleep there at night.
“The worst thing is that after the flood some people would not be able to return to their homes because most of the houses have been destroyed”.
HYPPADEC intervention
In a swift reaction to the incident, HYPPADEC about three weeks ago moved into the affected communities to provide succor to the victims by distributing relief materials worth N50 million.
It’s managing director Alhaji Abubakar Yelwa listed the items procured to included 1,300 matrasses, 500 bags of rice, 200 cartons of bathing soap and 250 cartons of detergents, among others.
The commission had earlier flagged-off its medical outreach in Lafiagi, Edu local government area of the state to provide healthcare services and prevent the likelihood of epidemic.
Yelwa who was represented at the two events by the commission’s director Environment and Community Development, Dr Mahmud Umar Mohammed said the essence of the medical outreach is to engage its medical team to treat infection cases and prevent any likelihood of epidemic that might break out in the aftermath of the disaster. Yelwa said they were there to see the extent of devastation especially to lives.
Community turning deaf ears to warnings
Fielding questions from reporters on why the communities continued to leave in the flood ravaged areas despite IDP camps provided by the federal government, Yelwa who spoke through the director said, “Yes, that is the big challenge we are having with my people; they continued to turn their deaf ears to all the warnings decades ago. Tell them to move out of this zone, they will not move and you see, the financial support from the government of the day is getting narrower day by day. So, my message for you people is to vacate from the reverine community.
“You have been wailing, crying that what you are experiencing this year is far more from what we have experienced decades ago. So believe that there is a climatic change and this thing will keep on increasing; next year might be worst, so prepared to live that zone because at a point government would no longer listen to you because it has talked to you and you have refused to listen.”
Worst disaster waiting to happen
While disclosing that the commission has received reports of 5-7 people who have lost their lives to flood in different parts of the state this year alone, the HYPPADEC boss who stressed the need for riverine communities to relocate to IDPs camp, warned that a worst disaster than flood might happen.
“This thing is natural; for instance, you can’t stop rainfall and it must be accumulated up the dam there and whether we like it or not, unless we want to pass through another calamity worse than flooding; because there is another calamity that is worse than flooding. Do you know what that is? it is dam failure. If they don’t discharge water and allow the water to be there, the pressure of water would push the dam away and the calamity that is associated with the dam failure is worse than what we are experiencing now.”
He insisted that the best bet for their safety is for the riverine community to move permanently to the IDPs camp constructed for them in Patigi by the federal government.
“You are very much aware that there is IDPs camp that has been constructed for them about15 years ago but as soon as the flood recedes, they also go back to the riverine area; it is when the flood comes that they come back to the camp. So we believe that they shouldn’t do that, but should relocate permanently and that does not stop them from doing their day-to-day activities. Because the river is just close by, they always go there, do their fishing and come back.
Why we can’t vacate-residents
Confronted by HYPADEC’s claim that victims have continued to defy directive to vacate the affected communities, another victim, Mohammed Garba who said he lost over one hectare of his rice farm to the flood, regretted that they could not relocate to the IDPS’ camp provided by the federal government because their means of livelihood which are fishing and farming is in the riverine area.
He also said the accommodation provided in the camp was a far cry to the number of people leaving in the riverine community.
HYPPADEC mulls stiffer penalty
Disturbed by the refusal of resident of the riverine communities to vacate the areas, Yelwa hinted that HYPPADEC is considering sponsoring a bill to enact a law that will prohibits people from residing certain killometres away from rivers to avert recurring loss of lives and properties.
“We are going to sponsor a bill on that. We are going to use the senators, House of Reps members to pass a bill that will make people not to leave along the riverine areas for a certain distance of killometre,” he hinted.