Odiuko hails Henry Nwawuba over motion to address flood issues in Nigeria

All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA Senatorial candidate for Owerri zone, Barrister Chyma Anthony (Odiuko) has commended the House of Representatives for adopting a motion seeking to address flood related issues in Nigeria sponsord by the member Representing Mbaitolu\Ikeduru Federal constituency , Hon. Henry Nwawuba.

Nwawuba who sponsored the motion of urgent national importance at the resumption of plenary noted that Nigeria was passing through the devastating effects of floods caused by a combination of factors such as heavy rains, which make flood control and management a perennial challenge.
He noted that with each passing year, the impact of flooding kept getting worse, with damage to property, dangers to lives of humans and other species, traffic delay, interference with drainage and economic use of lands.
He said the House was aware that in 2022, 33 out of 36 states and the FCT were affected, over 600 people killed and over 1.4 Million people displaced.
He cited the most recent announcement on Monday 7th November, 2022, by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to the effect that the heavy downpour will re-occur next year 2023.”
The House therefore urged President Muhammadu Buhari to make an urgent request for N100 billion supplementary budget or more from the National Assembly as intervention fund for mitigation, recovery and relief programmes across the country.
The lawmakers also urged the Federal Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and Office of the Accountant General`s Office of the Federation to release immediately, the sum of N5 billion into the already created Special Ecological Fund Account of each State of the Federation and the FCT to mitigate the effect of the flooding.
The House mandated its Committee on Appropriation to make provision of N200 billion in the 2023 appropriation bill for the Ecological Project Office in the Presidency for flood preparedness, mitigation, response and relieve packages.
It also mandated its committee on legislative agenda to coordinate a Technical Working Group between the executive and legislature as well as industrial experts and stakeholders to articulate an Action Plan to forestall a repeat of such flood and erosion disaster in 2023 and beyond.
The House however mandated its committee on legislative compliance to ensure compliance and report back within one week.
Reacting to the development, the APGA Senatorial Candidate for Owerri zone, Barrister Chyma Anthony (Odiuko) described the motion by Hon. Nwawuba as the most people oriented by the National Assembly; considering the suffering most Nigerians have passed through due to flood.
“This is one of the best motions any House member has ever sponsored. I applaud Rt.Hon. Henry Nwawuba who is the house member representing Mbaitolu\Ikeduru Federal constituency in the House of Reps and the APGA House of Reps candidate for next year’s general election.
This is a welfare motion.
Our people have gone through so much because of flood.
This will touch lives. It is a way to give back to the society, “ Odiuko stated.
The senatorial candidate advised the government to ensure that funds released to address ecological problems is in the right hands so that the target audience would not be left out.
According to him, damns should be constructed in all the flood-prone states in the country to save lives and the environment.
Barrister Chyma Anthony who expressed joy that Nwawuba is an APGA House of Reps candidate, gave assurance that the party would continue to champion programmes and policies that would affect lives positively.