THE Umueri community has expressed worry over the management of the camps for internally displaced people in the state in the absence of both the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
Anambra was reportedly one of the states most severely impacted by this year’s flood disaster, with numerous fatalities, communities swamped in water, and damaged property valued at hundreds of millions of Naira.
However, Johnny Metchie, the community’s president general, stated that the government had not shown up to help the people during the crisis.
Metchie, who has been visiting various camps and donating supplies across the state government-established IDP camps, expressed concerns that there may soon be a serious outbreak of certain diseases in the IDP camps due to the unprofessional ways that things were being managed, including food, medicine, and other items donated by well-meaning people and organizations.
In the IDP camps in Umuleri, Aguleri, and the entire state, Metchie, who was just named the African Director of the International Association of World Peace Advocates, bemoaned conditions that were far below what was acceptable anyplace in the world.
He revealed that rather than NEMA and SEMA, new Local Government council chairmen were given complete control over the IDP camps for Anambra flood victims. These chairmen, aside from lacking any prior disaster management experience, were not even using the services of experts, such as health officials, nurses, doctors, and others to guarantee that the victims’ essential food and medications were safe.
He said, “I have been going around the different IDP camps in Anambra State. While I commend the efforts of the state government led by Prof. Chukwuma Soludo in quickly responding to the needs of the victims by setting up IDP camps, I cannot but express disappointment with the total absence of federal agencies like NEMA, as well as SEMA which would have brought in some level of professionalism in the operations.
“It falls below all known standards of disaster management to leave the coordination in the hands of local government chairmen who have no requisite knowledge and expertise to coordinate such huge crisis as we have on our hands currently.
“In cases where NEMA is involved, they come with health officials, nurses, medical doctors, security and others. This is to ensure that victims are not given expired and other unwholesome drugs. Victims that are put in IDP camps need security to ensure that they are not attacked or even robbed of the food and other relief items being donated by well-meaning individuals and organization.
“So, why has NEMA, a federal government agency abandoned Anambra at this critical time?
“There is also the need for accountability in order to ensure that donated relief materials are not diverted.”
Metchie thanked the Anambra state government, private citizens, NGOs, churches, and other organizations for their contributions of relief supplies to the IDPs. He also called for increased efforts to provide mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, and rechargeable lamps, as well as to send nurses, doctors, and other health officials to the camps.
“Many of the victims in the IDP camps are sleeping on bare floors under heavy cold and breeze, and at the mercy of mosquitoes. This is dangerous. Again, the Local Government chairmen should be working with NEMA, SEMA, Red Cross, and other stakeholders,” Metchie stated.
