NIGERIA: Fresh help reaches flood victims
Vital aid from a Catholic charity has reached flood victims in northern Nigeria – but a senior Christian leader has warned the scale of the human tragedy could be greater than first feared.
Bishop John Bakeni, Auxiliary Bishop of Maiduguri, told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), which is supporting the diocese’s relief efforts, that at least 1 million have been directly affected by the flood.
He added: “The flood’s unprecedented scale has presented challenges beyond our previous experiences as more than half of the city is under water.
“Many lives, properties and livelihoods have been lost.”
Telling the charity the flood that hit Maiduguri was the worst in at least three decades, he said: “The urgent needs, for now, are food, medical items and temporary shelter”.
With backing from ACN, the Church is providing these for 20,000 victims of the disaster.
According to the diocese rising waters have affected at least 22,989 members of 3,601 Catholic households across six parishes in the worst hit areas – but the actual number could be much higher.
Bishop Bakeni said: “These are the figures we confirm from the parish registers. Thousands are yet to be accounted for.”
Bishop John Bakeni in front of the flooded cathedral.
The diocese also estimated that a further 30,000 Christians from other denominations are in an equally difficult situation. The majority of the city’s residents are Muslim.
Bishop Bakeni told ACN: “Efforts are ongoing by government and relevant agencies to evacuate and resettle residents in the affected areas, while efforts are also on the way to ensure the provision of food, shelter, and medical assistance, I must say that the situation is overwhelming.”
IDP camps for the victims of Boko Haram that were closed in recent years have been re-opened to accommodate flood victims.
The senior Church leader added that authorities were preparing for possible outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, malaria and diarrhea – not to mention other dangers.
He said: “The flood waters are now a cocktail of hazards, pathogens from decomposing bodies from the graves, wastewater from the hospitals, gutters, wildlife from the zoo, broken glass [or] bottles and exposed iron rods.
“We are creating awareness and enlightening our people, especially our young ones, to stop entering the flood waters.”
The flooding was caused by heavy rainfall at the end of August, which in turn put extra stress on the Alau Dam.
The dam collapsed on 8th September, submerging more than 40 percent of Maiduguri.
ACN has pledged to provide relief and assistance for Maiduguri Diocese.
The charity’s head of Nigerian projects, Kinga Schierstaedt, said the charity was “committed to supporting them and will not leave them alone in their time of need.”
In addition to an appeal for aid, Bishop Bakeni called on ACN’s to pray for the safety of all the people in Maiduguri.