Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
The President General of the Ogoni Youth Federation (OYF), Legborsi Yamaabana, has urged the Rivers State Government to extend its flood relief programme to Nyokhana and other flood-affected communities across Ogoniland.
Yamaabana, who is also the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for Khana Constituency II in the 2027 Rivers State House of Assembly election, called for N200,000 cash assistance and one year of free healthcare for verified flood victims in the affected communities.
In a statement yesterday, he commended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his Deputy, Prof Ngozi Odu, who chairs the Rivers State Flood Prevention and Management Committee, for the government’s reported decision to provide the same package to flood victims in Eneka, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
He, however, appealed to the government to extend similar consideration to affected households in Ogoniland.
“Humanitarian relief must be guided by need, not geography,” Yamaabana said, stressing that families whose homes, farmlands and livelihoods had been damaged by flooding also required urgent assistance.
He identified more than 23 affected Ogoni communities, including Lueku, Lorre, Luebe, Yeghe, Bera, Kono, Kereke Bo-ue, Zor-Sogho and Okwale, as areas requiring government attention.
According to him, the flooding has submerged homes, damaged properties, disrupted academic activities, destroyed farmlands and threatened the livelihoods of residents.
“The suffering is real, the needs are urgent, and the response must be inclusive,” he said.
Yamaabana disclosed that he had formally written to Odu, in her capacity as chairman of the state flood management committee, requesting urgent intervention in the affected Ogoni communities.
He said the appeal was aimed at securing practical assistance for residents through constructive engagement with the state government.
The OYF president-general also called for an urgent assessment of flood damage, immediate support for displaced and vulnerable households, rehabilitation of drainage channels and the implementation of sustainable flood-prevention measures.
He maintained that the request was not for preferential treatment but for the needs of flood victims in Ogoniland to receive adequate consideration.
“We are not asking for special privileges for Ogoni; we are demanding fair consideration for Ogoni people whose homes, farms and livelihoods have been devastated by flooding,” he said.
He urged the governor and the flood management committee to ensure that relief efforts covered all communities where residents had suffered flood-related losses.
Yamaabana added that he would continue to advocate for the welfare and protection of affected residents in his capacity as leader of the Ogoni Youth Federation and a prospective representative of Khana Constituency II.
“Ogoni flood victims deserve relief. Our communities deserve protection. Our people must not be left behind,” he said.