MINNA: The 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party(LP), Peter Obi has visited Niger state to condole with the state government over the devastating Mokwa flood where more than 153 people have died and several houses submerged with thousands of people displaced.
Obi who was received in the Government House, Minna, Niger State, by the Deputy Governor, Comrade Yakubu Garba, lamented the number of people who lost their lives and the devastation on physical properties.
He said he was in the state to show solidarity with the people over their unfortunate circumstances, just as Garba revealed that the death toll from the devastating flood had risen to 200, with over 1,000 people still missing.
Obi who was accompanied by former Minister of Finance, Mr Bernadus Phan called for more investment in Niger and Borno states because of their advantages in agriculture.
According to him, whatever happens in Niger state affects Nigeria.
He, therefore, donated the sum of N20 million to the victims of the flood while commending the state government for its response efforts and called for more action to mitigate the effects of natural disasters.
Obi said, “And our people lost their lives. It is critical. So we are just here to condole and show our solidarity and continue to assure you that for me, for Nigeria, these are states we need to invest in.
“We felt that we had to do so physically to visit here, condole you and show solidarity because whatever happened here happened in Nigeria. And we’re all Nigerians. And we are brothers and sisters. May those who die in eternal rest comfort their families and the good people of Niger State and continue to bless the families and the good people of Niger State.
“Niger stare is one state I still maintain and believe that can help to change Nigeria. Nigeria has no reason to be part of countries that should be counted as the hungriest countries of the world. We shouldn’t be. Because God gave us what can pull us there.
“We can make more money from agriculture than we can from oil. Oil is a diminishing asset. Agriculture is Nigeria’s future asset because people must eat and no other state holds key to that than Niger state. So we can do more. All we need as a nation is to invest in these two states.
“These are states we need to invest in. These are oil. If we put our resources into it, we could generate what we are not making from oil from them. So we are here to condole you,” he said.
Responding, the Deputy Governor said more than 3,000 people have been displaced and over 2,000 houses affected by the flood.
He noted that the number of bodies recovered continues to go up by the hour as families desperately search for missing loved ones.
He expressed deep concern that many of the missing persons are now feared dead, calling the situation one of the most tragic in recent times.
Garba said, “We cannot give you exact interim statistics because even yesterday, whatever we have seen before yesterday, the number has gone up. If we say this is the number today, the next day, you see the number go up again. But I know from the people that there were people displaced, and nobody has seen them.
“For now, we don’t know where they are and our solution. Those people have actually been swept off by water, and the number is not less than 1,000. We have reviewed house to house, and based on the household, the number of people that are yet to be seen is more than 1,000.
“But the dead that have been seen, physically dead, they are almost close to 200 now. And the displaced persons are more than 3,000 plus and the affected properties are more than 2,000. There are some roads that have been washed away, and about three bridges have collapsed due to the wave of this river.
“So nobody can ascertain exactly the figure of what has happened. You can only see what you see at that moment. But actually in our time, you will see that number continue scaling up.”
