Evil Windstorm: Senate takes action over disaster in Benue communities

The Nigerian Senate, on Wednesday, urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other federal government agencies, to quickly rebuild the public facilities destroyed by the heavy wind and tornadoes caused by the rainstorm of April 8.

This was sequel to the motion of urgent national importance brought before it by the Senator representing Benue South, Senator Abba Moro.

The upper legislative chamber also, in its resolutions, called on NEMA and relevant agencies to quickly mobilize resources to rehabilitate and relieve the communities affected by the rainstorm.

In presenting the motion, Senator Moro recalled that, “on April 8, 2021, over ten communities in Ogbadibo and Okpokwu Local Government Areas of Benue South Senatorial District were badly hit by a natural disaster, a devastating windstorm which left scores of people injured, hundreds of them homeless and led to a wanton destruction of properties, valuables and several means of livelihood worth millions of Naira”.

Moro stressed that, “the said windstorm brought down all the blocks of classrooms of the LGEA primary school, Epeilo, the roofs of LGEA primary school Obu 1, three church Buildings and all the blocks of classrooms of LGEA primary school Odoba-Ehaje, all in Ogbadibo Local Government Area, residential buildings at Ojigo, residential buildings in Olaidu, some church Buildings, four clinics, a police station, masts, electric poles and many residential buildings in Ajide and Okpale-Otah in Okpokwu Local Government Area”.

To forestall further disasters, the Senate accordingly called on Federal Government to make its presence felt at the Benue South Senatorial District, to sensitize the people on measures to be taken to protect themselves and their properties from damages occasioned by the “perennial calamity that annually befalls them”.

It will be recalled that, Senator Moro, had in a motion on May 12, 2020, drew the attention of the Senate to a devastating rain/windstorm disaster that swept through Aifam Community of Ogbadibo Local Government Area, wherein One Hundred and Fifty buildings and other valuables were blown off with the storm, including the roofs of 1000 Capacity St. Michael The AchAngel Catholic church, the Ahor Market and the LGEA primary School Aifam.