Communities in Anambra State under the aegis of Awba-Ofemili League of Professionals (ALeP) have called on the Federal Government through the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA and the Anambra State Government led by Prof. Chukwuma Soludo to urgently assist flood victims in the state, especially Awba-Ofemili town, among others.

Awba-Ofemili is a community in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State and has been  heavily ravaged by the recent flood, sacking some villages including in Umuosite and some parts of Ege, Nkpuocha, Oka-akwu, Ngene Nkpumekwu communities, among several others.

National Coordinator of ALeP, Remmy Nweke, while reacting to the flood and its impact, said in a statement that the flood was avoidable only if the state actors took their assignment seriously.

He lamented that the flood in Awba-Ofemili led to the death of at least, a young man known as Ike Igwee about two weeks ago, among other damage to the agrarian town and environs.

Nweke, therefore called on the relevant state apparatus, including NEMA, State Emergency Management Agency in Anambra to come to the aid of Awba-Ofemili as one of the communities largely affected by the flood.

According to him, government actors need to be proactive when warnings on situations such as the flood were given rather than wait to be reactive.

“As we speak there is no part of the town with eight villages the flood did not affect,” he lamented.

It was gathered this has also affect the agricultural produce from the town as crops have been washed away, some building collapse, thereby forcing some people to relocate to some high level areas for safety.

The statement also said that the NEMA has confirmed that some 10,345 victims are from Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, while Ayamelum had 9,240 flood cases with 5,468 displaced persons.

According to him, acting state coordinator, NEMA in Anambra, Mr Thickman Tanimu, affirmed that some 651,053 persons in six local government areas of the state had so far been displaced by flooding, including Umuosite village in Awba-Ofemili.

Tanimu said they assessed flooding in different parts of the state, stressing that Ogbaru had the highest number of victims with 286,000 persons, while Anambra West and East Local Government Areas followed with 237,000 and 103,000 victims, respectively.

Awka North LGA, the state coordinator said, had 10,345 victims, while Ayamelum had 9,240 flood cases with 5,468 displaced persons.

Nweke further recollects that ALeP is a group of all conscious, keen and capable professionals from Awba-Ofemili town in Awka-North Local Government Area of Anambra State, championing advocacy for a united front for the development and restoration of the rice-producing, agrarian and safe society in the town.

The statement also said: “ALeP is equally endowed with requisite human resources actively play in all sectors of the economy.”