RSG Delivers Relief Materials To Flood Victims In Abua/Odual, …Offers Free Health Insurance

The Rivers State Government has delivered food and relief materials to Abua/Odual Local Government Area to cushion the effect of flooding.

Speaking while handing over the materials to the council chairman on Tuesday, the Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Prof. Ngozi Odu, said Abua/Odual is one of the most flood-impacted LGAs in the Ahoada East and Ahoada West region.

Odu, who is the Chairman of the Rivers State Flood Prevention and Management Committee, was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties, Dr. Mrs. Fortune Akpila.

She appealed to the council chairman to ensure all flood victims benefit from the relief materials.

The deputy governor said the gesture was part of Governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara’s intervention to cushion the effect of the predicted flood on vulnerable communities.

The items delivered include non-food items: 200 mattresses, 200 pillows, 100 blankets, 50 bedsheets, 200 towels, 200 plastic buckets, 200 pairs of bedroom slippers, 200 creams, 200 soaps, 200 toothbrushes, 200 tubes of toothpaste, 50 packs of washing soap detergent, 200 serving plates, 200 sanitary pads, and 200 tablespoons.

“Food items:150 bags of 25kg rice, 500 bags of 10kg beans, 30 bags of 25kg salt, 40 gallons of 10-litre palm oil, 14 cartons (196 packets) of seasoning cubes, 5 cartons (300 packets) of groundnut oil, 107 bags of 25kg Garri, and 200 cartons of Indomie (40 pieces per carton).”

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Vincent Wachukwu, who is also member of the flood committee, warned residents to prepare for the health consequences of the flood.

“The flood will come with a lot of things. You will begin to witness things like cholera and other diseases because of contaminated water that will be drinking,” Wachukwu said.

He announced that the State Government, through RIVCHPP, has commenced free enrollment of residents into the health insurance scheme to enable them to access free treatment during the flood period.

“We are calling on Abua people to go to the nearest health centre, to the nearest hospital to enroll free of charge so that when this flood begins to come with its attendant consequences, our people will be treated free,” he stated.

Wachukwu noted that the enrollment team is already in Abua and will cover other communities.

Receiving the relief materials, the Chairman of Abua/Odual LGA, Hon. (Engr.) Owolobe Michael Ofori, thanked the State Government for the intervention.

Ofori, who was represented by the Council Secretary, Hon. Wilson Alami Maxie, said the Council would ensure that the deputy governor’s message was communicated to all LGA stakeholders, CDCs and community leaders, particularly on the need for citizens to enroll in the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP).

The council boss appealed to the Ministry of Health to pay urgent attention to the General Hospital in Abua, which he said is offering only skeletal services.

He lamented that there was no functional secondary health facility in the entire Abua/Odual, forcing residents to seek care in Bayelsa State, while the General Hospital at Amago community remains uncompleted and inaccessible by road.

He said the relief materials would bring succour to poor farmers whose crops and homes are usually submerged.

“You can imagine the condition of the poor farmers in the villages, toiling for months to farm and the flood just comes and destroys their crops, even their habitat.

“Some communities are completely submerged.

“So, for the State Government to come with relief materials, the Abua people are very grateful,” Ofori said.

By: Kiadum Edookor