Residents Of Abuja Community, Ravaged By Flood, Count Losses, As Minister Visits Them

Residents of Dei Dei, a suburb of Abuja, the Nation’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are still mourning the death of their neighbours and counting their losses in recent a flood disaster.
This was even as the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello paid a visit to the area today, Tuesday, to sympathise with the victims.
It would be recalled that a sudden midnight flood wiped off a family of three, comprising 30 year old Malama Rahmatu Abubakar, her four year old, son Yusuf and 26 year old junior sister, Maryam Nuhu. The rain water was said to have submerged the house in which they slept.
The husband of the woman, Malam Abubakar, was said to have been away on a business trip when the flood came to wipe out his household.
Many houses and properties were also said to have been lost in the incident.
The minister, who was accompanied by the Bwari Area Council Chairman, Musa Dikko, the Etsu of Bwari as well as the Director of FCT NEMA, Abbas Idris said that illegal structures and refuse dumps that obstruct the natural pathway of water in the FCT would be removed to stem future flood disaster in the Territory.
“We have spoken to the community; we have also informed them that water will naturally always find its way and we are now just in the middle of July. We still have a lot of rain coming and we have advised them on what they need to do. From what I have received of their feedback, I think they have understood the need for all those that are residing on the direct natural water course, there is a need for them to move and then of course to clean the surrounding area, so that when water comes back as it will definitely do, it will have a natural way of flowing.”
Also the Bwari Council Chairman, Hon. Musa Dikko, gave assurance that the Council is planning a relief intervention for the affected persons and will put measures in places to stop the indiscriminate construction of shanties on water ways.  [myad]