Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2014 — 15
Flood wreaks havoc in Owerri zSacks families, destroys property worth millions of Naira By Chidi Nkwopara
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WERRI—PROPERTY worth millions of Naira have been destroyed at Mbonu Ojike Street, Owerri, as a huge flood occasioned by several days of torrential rain in the capital city, submerged houses. Narrating their sordid experience at the scene of the incident, Chairman of the neighbourhood association, Mrs. Christy Morah, lamented that most families were still trapped in their respective homes. “The rampaging flood has destroyed properties worth millions of Naira. Our houses have been submerged by flood occasioned by days of torrential rain in and around Owerri,” Mrs. Morah said. According to the neighbourhood association Chairman, who is also a staff of Federal Government Girls College, FGGC, Owerri, about 10 staff quarters are under water as at the time of the interview. “Some of the affected
buildings are designated staff quarters of Federal Government Girls College and Imo State University, IMSU. Parts of IMSU Primary School is also submerged in the flood,” she
said. She said they had previously hired earth moving machines to help make the place accessible, adding that many a time, they stay in houses for days to allow the flood recede
before coming out. “We have actually been experiencing this sad situation for many years but it took a more dangerous dimension in the past two years.
VISIT: From left: Chairman of Abia State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Emma Nwaka, former Nigeria's Consul-General in South Africa, Ambassador Okey Emuchay, and Ambassador Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, during Amb. Emuchay's visit to Abia PDP headquarters to declare his aspiration to seek the party's governorship ticket in 2015 in Umuahia.
“The makeshift wooden bridge constructed by the IMSU Primary School is also submerged. School is also submerged. If the school was in session, it would have been terrible for the pupils,” Mrs. Morah lamented. She expressed fears that reptiles, apparently sacked by the surging flood, might ultimately creep into their living homes. She recalled that when the road was awarded to a contracting firm, residents of the quarters heaved a sigh of relief, “but we do no know what happened and the contractor packed his materials and left the site.” Mrs. Morah further explained that, “flood from Mbari Street, Ikenegbu, Works Layout and Orji community, flows to this area,” pointing out that residents of these quarters have lost personal effects and very important documents have either been lost or destroyed by the rampaging flood. Efforts made to reach the Commissioner for Works, Ichie Best Mbanaso, on his mobile line failed as his telephone was switched off.
Ikedife warns El-Rufai on Ihejirika, others BOKO HARAM:
By Nwabueze Okonkwo
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NITSHA—DR. Dozie Ikedife, former President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, yesterday, warned of a break-up of the country, if former Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, Nasir ElRufai, and other northern leaders did not refrain from discrediting the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Major General Azubuike Ihejirika (rtd) and other Igbo icons. Ikedife, who was a delegate at the just concluded national conference, stated that the manner El-Rufai and his fellow northern elders molested Igbo icons, was becoming too unbearable that with a little more push, Nigeria would go down the slippery slope. Speaking to newsmen in his Nnewi country home, Ikedife said, in his reaction to the recent
social media report in which El-Rufai was said to have fingered Ihejirika as one of the sponsors of the Boko Haram insurgents in the country, that such a blatant statement was capable of attracting the wrath of Ndigbo. The visibly angry Ikedife said the accusation was another classical case of hounding and haunting of an Igbo icon in the person of General Ihejirika, who left the Army a few months ago as the Chief of Army Staff. He said: “I wish to recall that when Ihejirika left the Army, those I identified as destroyers of credit and rumour mongers said that he was dismissed from the Army, but my investigation revealed that Ihejirika retired as and when due and was indeed the last member of his course mates to
retire from the army. “Following that retirement, he continued, the high and the mighty in one section of the country ganged themselves up and decided to take Ihejirika to the International Court of Justice for alleged crime against humanity because, as they said, of the way he hounded, the way he tried to checkmate Boko Haram insurgency when he was head of the Nigerian army. They accused him of using undue force and fighting Boko Haram mercilessly. “That particular accusation seems to have died down because it must be understood that in the army, you carry out orders and take instructions from the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. So, the stigma they wanted to stick on him did not work."