By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives on has asked the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to provide relief materials and first aid care to the victims of flooding in Makoko and Otumara Communities in Lagos Mainland Federal Constituency of Lagos State;
The House also directed the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to immediately commence rehabilitation of the damaged roads in both Makoko and Otumara Communities respectively
In addition, it further urged the Ecological Project Office to provide funds for the provision of sustainable flood management systems to mitigate incessant flooding in Lagos Mainland.
These resolution was sequel to the adoption of a motion on “Devastating Flood and Erosion in Makoko and Otumara Communities in Lagos Mainland”:, by Hon. Moshood Olarewaju Oshun ( APC-Lagos) on Wednesday at plenary.
Debating the motion, the Lawmaker noted that the impacts of flooding on socioeconomic outcomes and community development have become perturbing, especially as low-income areas and overcrowded communities are more vulnerable to the rapidly escalating phenomenon
The motionreads: “Also notes that Otumara Ilaje and Makoko are riverine communities in Lagos Mainland with an estimated population of one million, two hundred and fifty thousand people, respectively, which have immense tourist potentials that can be harnessed through thoughtful and participatory planning;
“Concerned that the two communities have, for many years, been bedeviled by ravaging floods and the attendant coastal erosions, for each time there is a heavy rainfall, the communities are flooded for days, submerging houses, destroying businesses, drowning helpless residents and displacing families.
“Also concerned that the 2024 rainy season is fast approaching and if the flooding in the communities are not urgently mitigated, it will result in devastating consequences when the rains start.
“Worried that the incessant flooding in the communities has exacerbated their susceptibility to waterborne diseases like malaria, cholera, typhoid, yellow fever, diarrhea, leptospirosis and hepatitis A, among others.
“Also worried that the gully erosions caused by the floods have rendered access roads in the communities impassable, causing untold hardship for the residents as they must travel long distances to access medical care and many other essential services.
The House unanimously adopted the motion and mandated its Committees on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and Ecological Fund to ensure compliance.