2022 Flood: Environmental Rights Activist Advocates Special Work-Free Public Holidays For Civil Servants

• ….Berates State Govt on Non-Inclusion of CSOs in Palliative Distribution Process To Ensure Transparency

An Environmental Rights Activist, Comrade Morris Alagoa has called on the Bayelsa State Government to enlarge its dragnets of extending the flood palliatives beyond political considerations to include Civil Society Organizations and Media Organisations and Unions, whose personnel are also heavily impacted by the monster floods ravaging local communities in the Niger Delta, including the state capital, Yenagoa.

Comrade Alagoa made this appeal in Yenagoa, in a viral video on his Social Media handle calling on the Bayelsa State Government of Senator Douye Diri, to declare a two-week public holidays for civil servants to enable most of them affected by the ravaging floods to have some respite with their families as most have relocated or temporarily harbouring in make-shift settlements as Flood Displaced Persons (FDPs) across the state.

“As you can see, this is the first time I am experiencing flood since 2012 when the first occured a decade ago, at this magnitude. It’s a monster flood and my apartment and office are flooded. My family is going through the most terrible times of our lives.

“We understand that the Bayelsa State Government has released some flood palliatives for affected persons. But politicians are using same to swell their egos.However, I feel it would have been better if credible Civil Society groups, whether wholly Ijaw or not; should serve with SEMA as Volunteers to distribute the items or funds and report back to the Government.

“I am therefore calling on Governor Diri to know that beyond Political considerations, there are Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and other Faith Based Organisations (FBOs) as well as media Organisations and Unions such as the NUJ, who are all working to raise awareness on the plight of affected flood victims and as such (we in these sectors) deserve the special flood palliative too, to cushion the impact of the flood on our families as most of us in these foregoing categories, who are not political affiliated to the ruling party, should also benefit from the largese.

“We are therefore calling in Senator Diri to involve these Special groups -CSOs, FBOs and Media Unions and Organisations – also impacted by the flood in the distribution to entrench transparency accountability and confidence of the masses in the process.” Alagoa concluded.

While berating the sharing formulae by the flood Community, Comrade Alagoa calls on the state government to look beyond Political affiliations and involve CSOs who are more reliable and transparent to reach out to the needy and impacted food victim’s rather than politicians who might have vested interests.

It will be recalled that Governor Diri had earlier within the week announced the release of N450 Million for Flood victims through the Commissioner for Environment, Eselema Gbaranbiri-led Flood Committee which has been adduced to be slow in mitigating the impacts of the flood on victims and homes and FDP camps that are still not officially designated.

Most families have taken over public school buildings an uncompleted property in the state capital for want of the state government official declaration for an IDP camp that is not in sight.

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