The Edo State House of Assembly on Wednesday called on both the State and Federal Governments to build housing estates on higher ground to accommodate victims of flood disaster in affected communities in the state.
The call followed a motion moved by Hon. Ahmed Oshioma (APC-Etsako Central) under matters of urgent public importance on the perennial flooding in Osomhegbe, Udaba, Ofukpo, Agbabu, Udochi and Anegbette all in Etsako Central.
Moving the motion, Hon. Oshioma said it had become necessary to find a permanent solution instead of the regular palliatives which, he noted, did not get to the victims in most cases.
Since 2012, the six riverine communities have been suffering from massive flood problem which had destroyed human lives, livestock and farm produce,” Oshioma said.
“In August 2022, flood destroyed completely the entire farm produce of the communities leaving the people empty without food and nothing to pay school fees.
“The people are as we speak experiencing untold hardship following the devastating flood that has ravaged the communities in Etsako Central, Etsako East and Esan South East among others,” he said.
Hon. Oshioma, in his consequential motion, called on both the state and federal governments to address the flooding ravaging the communities by finding a lasting solution to the problem.
He also called on the state and federal governments to provide relief materials to the victims in all the communities affected by the flood disaster.
Also speaking, Hon. Donald Okogbe (PDP-Akoko-Edo II), while amending the consequential motion, added that the speaker should lead a delegation to the affected communities to plead with them to move from where they currently reside to a higher ground.
Other members who spoke sympathised with the affected communities and called for a holistic approach to solving the problem. They urged Edo lawmakers in the National Assembly to move a similar motion to draw the attention of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to the plight of the people of the affected communities.
Summing up deliberations, the speaker, Rt. Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, called on the federal government to convert the funds for palliatives into building housing estates for flood victims.
He, thereafter, directed that clean copies of the resolution be forwarded to the relevant authority.
Meanwhile, the house received for consideration a bill for a law to amend the Edo State Skill Development Agency Law 2019 to enable it generate revenue by providing consultancy services to the public.
