Rivers promises relief as officials investigate Port Harcourt flooding

The Rivers State Government has promised immediate relief for residents affected by flooding in parts of Port Harcourt and ordered an investigation into possible causes of the disaster. Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu announced the measures during an inspection of flood-affected areas. She said Governor Siminalayi Fubara had directed the State Flood Management and Control Committee to assess the damage and recommend lasting solutions.

The committee includes the Head of Service, Secretary to the State Government, permanent secretaries from key ministries and health officials. Odu said the team had visited Lord Emmanuel Close, where it found what she described as attempts to reclaim part of an existing canal. She warned that the situation could have severe consequences if the work continued.

At Jerusalem Estate, residents told the committee that water was being diverted through an improperly channelled drainage system rather than flowing into a larger canal. Odu said preliminary information indicated that more than 1,000 buildings had been submerged within the estate. She said the government would brief Fubara and engage the Ministry of Works, residents and community leaders on corrective measures.

The deputy governor announced palliatives for affected residents in the estate and surrounding community. She said officials would meet the area’s traditional ruler and compile the names of affected families for additional assistance. Resident Obinna Okoro welcomed the intervention and said the flooding was the first of such magnitude in the area.

He attributed it to construction activities, particularly the De-Las-Vegas project, but the supplied material gives no independent assessment of that claim. Odu said the committee would return for further directives from the governor. The government’s response therefore combines immediate relief with proposed action on drainage, canal protection and construction-related concerns.