SENATE DEMANDS URGENT RELIEF FOR EROSION AND FLOOD-RAVAGED COMMUNITIES IN ANAMBRA, EBONYI, AND IMO

The Nigerian Senate has called on the Federal Government to deploy immediate emergency interventions across flood- and gully erosion-ravaged communities in Anambra, Ebonyi, and Imo states following widespread destruction, loss of lives, and displacement of residents.

The directive follows motions raised on the floor of the Upper Chamber highlighting severe environmental damage that has swept through several South-East communities, cutting off critical interstate roads and destroying farmlands.

LEGISLATIVE DIRECTIVES AND EMERGENCY ORDERS

Deeply concerned by the growing humanitarian crisis, the Senate observed a minute of silence in honor of victims who lost their lives to the natural disasters and issued targeted resolutions to executive agencies:

• Directives to NEMA: The Senate directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to immediately dispatch food items, clean drinking water, temporary shelter materials, and medical supplies to displaced residents across affected LGAs.

• Road Reconstruction and Ecological Fund Intervention: The Senate mandated the Federal Ministry of Works and the Ecological Project Office to urgently undertake remedial works on collapsed bridges and washed-away road corridors to restore interstate transit.

• Support for Farmers: Lawmakers called on the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to assess damaged farmlands and livestock to provide compensation and input relief to affected farmers.

• Joint Field Inspection: The Upper Chamber mandated its joint committees on Environment, Works, Ecology, and Climate Change to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the ravaged sites and submit a report within 30 days.

Lawmakers emphasized that without swift executive action, the continuous rainfall and active gully expansion pose an existential threat to additional residential communities across the region.