By Nelson Ogbu
In Oct 2021 after N621.2bn was approved by the Federal Executive Council, FEC, which the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, was expected to use for the reconstruction of 21 federal roads in the country without recourse to dilapidated roads in Kogi, the state government and several organizations frowned at that development.
Some of the concerned associations were Apapo OmoYagba Peace Association and Congress For Better Nigeria.
Speaking with Newsmen in Lokoja, on October 2021 the convener of the Congress For Better Nigeria, Barr. Zaccheaus Dare particularly said, "for a State that boarders ten States, with heavy flow of daily traffic from North and South," lamented that Politics was brought to play to deny the State.
The Convener at that time even threatened that the Youths of the state will have no choice but to barricade Federal Roads in the State if the federal government refuses to fix the roads.
But with the reality of things today even the Federal Government has blamed the looming fuel scarcity in Abuja on the Kogi flood occassioned dilapidated roads and torrential rainfall which is believed to have prevented tankers from transporting the Premium Motor Spirit to the Federal Capital Territory.
The FG made this known as marketers of crude oil and other industry stakeholders urged for a review of administrative fines in the midstream and downstream oil sectors.
The announcement was made during the closing ceremony of the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority’s stakeholder consultation forum on midstream and downstream petroleum regulations in Abuja.
The flood in Kogi state submerged several highways that trucks ply to transport PMS to Abuja. According to the NMDPRA, this explains the reason for the return of fuel queues in Abuja.
Relatedly there have been deaths, losses and tears everywhere in Kogi state. Apart from the fuel crisis issue, traders with different goods including animals are currently trapped on the fedral highway for over ten days with their goods perishing and animals dying daily causing them serious pains.
The flooding has pounded the state so hard that several houses had also been submerged, belongings destroyed and lives lost. About six persons, including a toddler, were killed by the flood that sacked communities in the Ibaji Local Government Area of the state. Over 600 hectares of rice farmland among several buildings were flooded due to the flood caused by the opening of the Lagdo dam and torrential rainfall.
The woes of residents affected by the flood wrecking in different parts of the state have worsened with the scarcity of potable water which the state Ministry of Water Resources said was caused by the flood.
Meanwhile, the state’s Governor, Yahaya Bello, had called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare Kogi a state of national disaster, following the ravaging effect of flood in the state and environs. He added that the natural disaster had affected the nine local government areas of the state which were along River Niger and River Benue.
The Kogi flood debacle from the foregoing no doubt, has threatened and still threatening the economic survival of the entire country therefore, many are of the believe that there is now the urgent need for the federal government to quickly address infrastructural challenges especially the federal roads in the state to forestall future economic and social malady
