From Ene Asuquo, Calabar

A heavy Rainfall in the Northern part of Cross River State has caused serious havoc, destroying farms and submerging houses in Ogoja, Yala and Bekwara Local Government Areas (LGA) sweeping away rice plots, yam, cassava and cocoyam farms.Badly affected villages by the rain are Adum, Ogba, Izibollo in Ntrigom, Mfuma and Mbora all in South Ukelle wards of Yala Local Government Area and Ezekwe, Okpodon, Wanikade and Wanihem in North Ukelle wards in the same Yala LGA.

Other places hard hit by the flood are Yahe, Aliforkpa, Ekprinyi, Wodah and Etekpa all in the same Yala local Government Area.Also some areas like Aladim, Ogoja Ndep, Bansara, in Ogoja were equally impacted by the menacing flood that lasted for over a week.It was a sad experience by the people of these areas who lamented loss of properties worth millions of Naira and their source of livelihood as the villagers looked helpless after losing everything to flood.At the village of Adum in Ntrigom, South Ukelle ward, one of the affected persons, a widow, who gave her name as Madam Cecilia Ugbem said that she lost her husband last year and the impact of the flood this year amounted to double tragedy on her.“Everything I planted is gone. My rice, yam and cassava farms are all gone. For the past three weeks, the water level in the river has continued to rise. We have never experienced a situation like this in this community before. I have lived here for over 50 years and seen all sorts of things but never seen this kind of flood water”.For over three weeks the water level have remained stagnant with increasing rains making the entire crops in the farms useless as the devastated farmers and villagers have cried out to both the state and federal governments to come to their rescue in terms of food, money, shelter and many others thingsThe Chairman of the Adum community, Kieran Agara said climate change impact is real as “we hear the cutting down of trees would generate excessive heat but what we are seeing is excessive rainfall and this is inflicting terrible pain on us. We also hear the climate change impact could be forward or backward, that is excess heat or excess rain and here we are, excessive rainfall has dealt with us. There is hardly a day that rain does not fall here and the rain comes in high volume”.At Yahe, it was the same story of woes. A farmer, Edra Iyaji said the local river which flows into the cross river flooded its banks three weeks ago and swept away their crops.He lamented, “As I talk to you now, many of us do not have anything to hold on to. The yams, rice and cocoyam we depended on for survival have all gone. In three weeks’ time, there will be a new yam festival. Tell me what will be our fate?”At Ogoja Ndep, a largely rice cultivating community, almost all the rice farms have been flooded and Adaji Michael said the rice they tried to rescue are “mainly chaff and worthless…Nobody can eat it. What we are going to experience this year is going to be massive hunger”.The Director General of the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Antigua Edem Gill who visited the affected areas with his team, said, “NiMET warned that Cross River is amongst states that would be impacted by severe flooding this year and we went around warning the residents of riverine areas to avoid farming near rivers , but my brother, these people have been farming in these areas for many years without much flooding but this year’s flooding has been unprecedented in some places.

By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

In order to address various land use violations and other issues in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Minister Nyesom Wike at the weekend inaugurated two significant ad-hoc committees with a two-week timeframe to review the issues and submit recommendations.

The committees include: Review of controversies surrounding River Park Estate and the other on the review of Land use/purpose clauses of land and properties at locations overtaken by commercial and other activities, were also charged to discharge their duties with utmost professionalism. Inaugurating the committees, Wike emphasized their significance in streamlining the FCT Administration’s services and restoring order to the city’s development, stressing that their work must be impartial and free from any external or internal influence.Explaining the terms of reference of the Committee on the River Park Estate, which is chaired by the General Counsel/Secretary of the Legal Services Secretariat, Salman Dako, the Minister said the Committee will review the issues surrounding the estate and investigate reported violations of the agreements made between the FCT Administration and the developers of the mass housing project.The Minister said, “The first Committee has to do with the issues that cropped up in the River Park Estate. Sometimes, the government will give out letters of intent to those that will say they want to develop mass housing and the government will always have an agreement or what you may call Memorandum of Understanding. We find out in most cases that these agreements are being violated. So, this Committee is to look into the issues that have to do with River Park Estate and advise the government on the necessary steps to take in order to correct some of these anomalies.“The assignment must be concluded in two weeks. There will be no extension of time. So, if it requires you to sit from morning till night, may it be so. We are not going to delay.“And let me warn you that it must be done professionally. I don’t want to hear of any issue of influence from outside. If I hear that somebody has interest, be it from outside or from the FCTA, particularly AGIS and Land Administration Department, you know the consequences of it. So, it must be done strictly and anywhere you require assistance, let me know. If there is any Department that is trying to obstruct you from getting information, let me know in time”, Wike stressed.Regarding the second committee on Land Uses/Purpose Clauses of Land properties at Locations overtaken by commercial and other activities, headed by the Director of Development Control, Town planner Mukhtar Galadima, the FCT Minister disclosed that it will focus on widespread land use violations in the FCT.The committee, he stated, will identify properties where the original purpose outlined in the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), such as residential use, has been illegally converted to commercial activities and vice versa, without government approval.The Minister highlighted that these violations have deviated from the Abuja master plan, stressing that the committee’s recommendations will help the government determine appropriate actions, which could range from outright revocation of land titles to levying penalties and charging for formal land use conversion.In addition to inaugurating the committees, Barr. Wike also directed the heads of relevant departments, including Lands, AGIS, Development Control, and Urban and Regional Planning, to immediately provide a comprehensive list of all defaulters on ground rent payments, including those from 2024 and 2025, for enforcement.The Minister who underscored the urgency of the action, explained that generating revenue from outstanding ground rent was vital to the funding of critical infrastructure projects in the 2025 budget, which he revealed has been assented to by President Bola Tinubu.

From Dan Amasingha, Minna

Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago has mourned an elder statesman, former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh.In a condolence message through his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, the Governor describes the death of the former minister as a great loss not only to Benue State but Nigeria as a whole.

He recalls the immense contributions of the deceased to nation-building when he held various positions at different times. The farmer governor maintains that the deceased will surely be remembered for his proficiency and impact on agriculture, politics, and playwriting.He commiserates with his Benue State colleague, Hyacinth Alia, the Och’Idoma, HRM John Elaigwu Odogbo, the family of the deceased, and the entire people of the state over the devastating loss.”The farmer governor prays that God will repose the soul of the deceased, grant him eternal rest, and comfort all the loved ones he left behind.The late Audu Ogbeh served as the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development between 2015 and 2019, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP from 2001 to 2005 and the Federal Minister of Communications from 1982 to 1983, among others.