The United Nations has described the flood in Bayelsa State as a crisis of major proportion that deserves attention.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria and Representative of the Secretary General, Mr. Matthias Schmale, stated this on Saturday when he led a delegation comprising officials of the global body, the World Health Organisation and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources on a courtesy visit to Governor Douye Diri in Yenagoa.
A statement by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, quoted Schmale as likening the Bayelsa situation to the Pakistani floods that attracted global attention.
The UN Coordinator, who had on Friday accompanied Governor Diri on his tour to some flood-impacted communities in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, said his visit was a response to the letter from the governor and called for attention to address the devastating effect of the flooding.
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Schmale commended Diri for his commitment in visiting flooded communities in the state, noting that what he witnessed required both material and moral support.
He also stated that the UN would advocate and mobilise resources for the recovery phase to enable victims return to their normal lives.
Schmale stressed that it was disheartening that lives, livelihoods and assets had been lost to the flood and called on the federal government and the international community to join hands to support what was left of the immediate response and recovery phases.
Schmale noted that the cause of the present disaster was climate change and that it would be the responsibility of the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, to speak emphatically during this year’s Climate Conference in Egypt about the need to invest in mitigation and adaptation measures.
Responding, Governor Douye Diri thanked the UN Secretary General for sending his Rep to the state at a time it was in need of help.
Diri praised the UN for being the first to respond quickly to the situation in Bayelsa.
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