Victims of the flood that occurred in Enohia Itim, Afikpo in Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, are still counting their loses, two months after the disaster. Between July and August this year, the area recorded heavy flooding that claimed eight lives, while houses, crops and other property worth millions of naira were destroyed.
A total of 894 persons were affected by the flood in the community. The victims said they have not recovered from the devastation the disaster caused them.
Blessing Okoche, who lost her mother, Angela Okoche, and younger sister to the incident, said she was yet to recover from the tragedy. She was among the victims given N1 million and relief materials recently by Governor Francis Nwifuru over the disaster.
The girl, who is now mother to her eight siblings that survived the incident, said losing her mother was a great loss and life has not been the same for them, especially as she lost her father years ago.
Blessing said: "My mother and my siblings were in a boat returning from our farm across the river when the boat capsized and they all fell into the river.
"My siblings were all rescued alive but my mother and her sister, who was also in the boat, were swept away by the river. We looked for them but we couldn't find them. Their bodies were recovered one week after the incident.
"They have been buried. My mother was buried in my father's plot of land in our community. There was no burial rite for her and her sister. We have left everything till December this year. My father is no more.
"I am devastated. I don't know where to start. We are eight in number as children and as you can see I am the only one that has grown up a little, others are very tender. I don't know how they came out alive. I thank God for saving them.
"The flood has really affected us, we have not recovered from it. I don't know how our lastborn will start school because there is no money for that. I have been thinking about this, not knowing that God has packaged something for us through our governor.
"This N1 million will help me to put him in school and take care of his and my other siblings. May God bless the governor for remembering us. I will utilize this money properly to make our governor proud."
Her grandmother, Grace Otu, revealed how one of her granddaughters, one year and half old was rescued from the river when the boat capsized. She explained that the child was picked floating on the water. "Thank God for saving her life."
"My daughter, Angela, and her children were returning from farm across the river when the boat carrying them capsized. The river carried her away while her children, including this baby I am carrying who was floating like a dry leaf, were all floating and they were rescued alive.
"I want to thank the state government for remembering us. This money they gave us will be used to train this child and her other surviving siblings. Their mother is my first daughter and you know what it means to lose one's first daughter. We have not recovered from the loss," she said.
Favour Edwin, a goiter patient whose 22 -year-old son, Innocent Ewa, died in the incident, also said she has not recovered from the disaster. She described Innocent as the breadwinner of her family and that his death had adversely affected her family.
"My 22-year-old son, Innocent Okpani Ewa, was fishing when the flood occurred. He was coming out of the river in a boat when it capsized and the river carried him.
"Till today, I have not seen him. He is the one taking care of me, he is the breadwinner in my family and I have not recovered from his death. Even as I speak with you, I am still devastated because of his death. I am the mostly hit in the disaster," she stated. .
The state government recently disbursed N100 million to the 894 victims of the disaster in the community. The government disbursed the N100m cash and relief materials, ncluding bags of rice, garri, mattresses and buckets to the victims at the Afikpo Council headquarters.
Deputy governor of the state, Princess Patricia Obila, flagged off the disbursement. A breakdown of the disbursement revealed that families that lost their people during the flood incident received N1million each, while those whose crops were destroyed received N500,000 each and other victims received N250,000 each. Each of the victims also got four bags of rice, two bags of garri, mattress and buckets.
Obila, while addressing the people, noted that the money and relief items disbursed to them was in fulfillment of the government's promise to come to their aid following the flood disaster. She described Gov. Nwifuru as a compassionate leader who does not joke with the well-being of the people.
She urged Afikpo people to continue to support Nwifuru's administration for more dividends of democracy.
Commissioner for Human Capital Development, Mrs. Ann Aligwe, who supervised the distribution of the cash and relief materials, lauded Nwifuru for the gesture, describing him as a kind-hearted governor.
"Our dear governor is a welfare governor. He has come to Ebonyi State to take care of the people through his Charter of Needs manifesto. This is why you are having this items and cash here.
"When we got information that Enohia Itim community was affected by flood disaster which claimed lives and destroyed property, we quickly dispatched our officials to the community.
"After this assessment and evaluation, we went to the governor and discussed with him. As a humanitarian governor, he said that he is the governor of everybody, he is from Afikpo local government area because his deputy is from Afikpo local government area.
"He immediately approved hundreds of millions and said we should procure relief materials, food items and also give cash to all the people affected by the flood in Enohia Itim," she narrated.
Chairman of Afikpo local government area, Chief Timothy Nwachi, described Nwifuru's administration as a responsive government. He said flood has been happening in the local government without any compensation for the victims until Nwifuru became governor and provided succour for the victims.
Nwachi's words: "The government is responding, not just responding but responding timely. We sent a distress call to the appropriate authorities and in less than 32 days, we are receiving this response.
"So, that's to say that the government we have as it stands now is a government that responds to people's needs and it is a government that is responsive to the problems of those they are leading.