Niger Delta Caucus in the House of Representatives has expressed dissatisfaction over the exclusion of Bayelsa State among the top ten most flood-affected by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
The.lawmakers made the statement while briefing the house of Representatives press corps in Abuja.
Speaking on behalf of the members, the Chairman of the caucus Mr Frederick Agbedi, said the Minister had in a recent speech excluded Bayelsa state from the affected states by the 2022 flood describing the decision as unacceptable.
The lawmakers further stressed that the recent comments of the minister contradicted the statement of the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria Mr Matthias Schmale, who declared Bayelsa a disaster zone.
The caucus emphasized that it was an undeniable fact that Bayelsa State is not only cut off from the rest of the country but 80% of the landmass testimonies from highly placed Nigerians who visited the state to witness the devastating effect of the flood.
According to the Caucus Chairman currently, Bayelsa State is the only state that cannot be linked by road to the western flank of the country through Delta State and to the eastern flank through Rivers State, as almost the entire State has been under water with all schools closed closed down.
The lawmakers however confirmed that as at the time of the briefing, the entire Niger Delta States of Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Imo and Cross River are highly impacted by the flooding.
COV /TSIBIRI