By Cajetan Mmuta, Awka
About 67 agrarian communities drawn from eight local government areas in Anambra State cried out to the state government over the disappearance of a whopping N3.4 billion pallatives meant to caution the effect of the 2022 flood disaster in the state.
Investigations showed that a total of 25, 000 farmers were affected by the flood which destroyed farms and food crops as well as properties worth several billions of naira last year.
Already the year 2023 perennial flooding across the country is making serious encroachments into various farm lands and eight local government area in Anambra state are currently at the verge of being swallowed up by flood.
The aggrieved farmers from the 67 communities have petitioned the State Deputy Governor and Chairman Flood Mitigation Committee, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim over alleged misappropriation of N3.4 billion 2022 Palliatives to farmers who lost their crops to the flood disaster.
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had in the last one month collected the data of farmers affected by the 2022 flood in the eight council areas.
The affected communities however are protesting that the list of farmers and communities did not reflect the real farmers and those qualified to benefit from the palliatives.
The Traditional Ruler of Ukwalla community in Anambra West local government area HRH Igwe Joseph Ajodo told newsmen that the level of loss by the farmers was over N3.4 billion.
He lamented that the list of 25,000 farmers were doctored, pointing out that communities and farmers not affected by the flood were published by NEMA.
According to him, “We have petitioned the Deputy Governor Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim who is in charge of the flood management as well as the Chairman of State Emergency Management Agency SEMA Mr Paul Odenigbo over what is going on”
He explained that, “Those lists do not reflect those affected and the real farmers have been excluded by NEMA and we want this injustice corrected”
“In Anambra West local government area we have we have officially 18 communities but when you add other communities not recognized by government it would come to about twenty one and the list published by NEMA did not capture all of them and the farmers”
“When you visit parts of Anambra East and Ayamelum local government areas you would discover this fraud and it is not good”
“Communities like Olumbanasa, Ukwala, Ndiowele, Ndinoma, Nzam and those in Anambra East who are badly affected were not affected in that list”
“Besides that the time they are providing the crops for cultivation is late because we have started harvesting of yams to avert the flooding and when they are supposed to provide those crops should have been around November”
Chairman, Flood Management Committee for Umuzu community in Ogbaru local government area, Prince Chris Okwuosa stated that when they contacted SEMA the agency contended that the list was for communities that are in 18 Holding Camps and not for those who are not in the camps.
“The number of those in the camps are far lower than those that are not in the camp and this attitude of NEMA is very very unfortunate to say the least”
“Last year a lot of people were not captured by NEMA and SEMA and most of them are those who are badly affected but when you look at that list you would see strange names that are not Ogbaru people or farmers and we wonder where those names came form”
“The Deputy Governor should come into the matter because we are not going to allow this to happen again and let it be known to the world that our people have been denied those palliatives”
In a swift reaction, Chairman, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Mr Paul Odenigbo dismissed the allegations, saying that the data collection was done by NEMA for almost one month.
He said, “It is the stuck in trade of our people to complain at all times and this data was collected by NEMA and not SEMA and they were here in Anambra for one month and people and communities were coming for capturing are where were those communities and farmers complaining?
He disclosed that, “NEMA made provisions for 18,000 farmers who were captured and those who are alleging that they were not captured did not come forward for that and we cannot drag people from their homes”
“All that we as SEMA did was to accommodate the agency and assist them where necessary but the job is totally the federal government affair and it is the aim of the Anambra state government to ensure that our farmers are compensated but they have to make themselves available” he added.
