A Non Governmental Organisation, Challenge Parenthood Initiative (CPI) in collaboration with German NGO, Heinrich Böll Stiftung and the Active Infrastructure Organisation, have launched a flood mitigation project in Kogi state, north central Nigeria.
Using Ganaja community, one of the most affected communities in Lokoja, the state capital as a model, the project seeks to:
- Rehabilitate a major road in the community as an alternative route during flooding. The flood often washes away a major road that leads to the south eastern region of the country from the North through Lokoja and Kogi East region.
- The project also aims for the provision of portable water
- Rehabilitation of Internally Displaced People’s Camps (IDPs),
- The rehabilitation of Primary Health Care Centers
- And the dredging of River Niger and River Benue as contained in the Ganaja Charter of Demand & Flood Resilience Action Plan.
This was revealed at the opening of a two day workshop with the objective of establishing five working committees, which will drive these five key areas of priority.
According to the Director of CPI, Eunice Agogun, “it is possible to contain flooding in communities through intervention and advocacy.”
She said that CPI partners are ready to control floods, to take care of community members affected and build infrastructures which are flood resistant.
She explained further what the project seeks to achieve, saying; “Our goal is to pilot the process with the Ganaja community. We have identified five priority areas of demand. The survey and study we conducted last year in collaboration with our partners gave rise to combat the flooding that regularly hit Kogi knowing that other communities are severely affected by flooding.”
The workshop which was attended by community leaders, civil society organisations, government representatives, traditional rulers, persons with disabilities and others, culminated in the inauguration of five working committees.
These committees will champion the cause and achieve results through advocacy, equipped with tools that are required.
The last day of the workshop was also used to draw up advocacy strategies for each group and fix dates for deliberations and action.
After the pilot scheme, the project would be replicated in other communities most hit by flood.
Hauwa Abu