By Moshood Erubami
The torrential downpour from rain and its consequences have come against pre-warnings that the resultant flooding will destroy crops, houses, schools, and businesses including the losses of lives, with many injured and countless losing their livelihoods, while millions will be displaced.
The loud shout for immediate action on the effects of global warming and climate change and its consequences in flooding resulting from the climate emergency is now. It is most tragic and pitiable that most residents of the states ravaged by the flooding in Nigeria now pull up canoe boats in front of their houses to access the outside outlet to reach their various destinations while waiting for the government both in the state and federal, for actions that could bail them out of the condition and mitigate their affected economic and social conditions. The images captured of the consequential menace of the heavy rains are nauseating with men, women and their children largely affected with life-impacting consequences wading in waterlogged streets after the flooding.
Everybody’s
support is needed to draw attention to the urgent need to act on climate change
and protect millions impacted by its negative effects. Materials in forms of
sleeping foams, food products, health facilities and money should urgently be
provided to mitigate the damaging effects of the flooding on states which have
forced many into displacement from their ancestral homes. Women and children
are mostly at risk in these deteriorating conditions and the most in need of
assistance. Hence, the government should act decisively to assist and give them
help to secure everyone’s rights to safety and health.
Before the ravaging floods, gender inequality
and discrimination were pervasive in Nigeria. Most women lacked access to
quality sexual and reproductive health care. Now, with fewer resources, the
country’s already-abysmal maternal mortality rates are sure to increase with
obvious socio-economic consequences on the children that could be brought out
from such family settings. Those affected should not lose hope and the
government too must act to join families of the survivors to reclaim their
losses and secure their human rights.
The governments, friends of the affected
states and the international community must prioritise the health and wellbeing
of those negatively impacted, women and children to rise in assistance to
rescue, and send relief, and rehabilitation materials to cushion the
devastating effects of the seemingly unavoidable bad conditions on the people.
The government and politicians should not ignore how the people who voted them
into power and who will file out in the next elections to vote or renew their
mandates are presently suffering due to flooding. The men, women and children
who are qualified to vote now will use the election period to pay back. The
fidelity of the voters will largely be determined by the responses of the
government to their plights now.
*Erubami
is the convener, Coalition for Democracy in Nigeria.
No comments:
Post a Comment