Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Peter Obi has for a long time, been proactive and compassionate about flood victims in Nigeria, particularly in his home state of Anambra.
TNC recalls that Obi had a few days ago, asked his presidential counterparts in other political parties to suspend their campaigns and join him to help flood victims across the country.
He made the plea when he visited the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom to condole with him over the flooding that displaced his citizens.
He did not stop there. He also visited the victims of flood in the state and took a boat tour of some flooded places and offered relief materials.
He also visited his home state of Anambra which is one of the worst hit states by the disaster. He risked his life and even took a boat tour of the flooded sites and offered relief materials.
He has also visited Bayelsa and Delta States too to assess the extent of damage caused by the floods and to commiserate with the victims.
But, the spokesperson to the Atiku Presidential Campaign Organisation, Daniel Bwala described as a “scam” the gesture of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi to visit the victims of the flood in the country.
The Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar’s media aide said Obi’s decision to wear a cloth that has the LP’s insignia on it betrayed the purpose he claimed to have professed by saying he suspended the campaign.
However, Obi’s compassion and proactiveness to flood victims did not start today.
On October 3, 2012, ten years ago, the Nation Newspapers reported on its front page a lead story, with the headline: “Anambra Floods: Obi Offers Govt House To Displaced Persons.”
Obi, who was then the governor of the state,
offered accommodation to the displaced persons inside the Government Lodge in Onitsha.
The story said Obi directed the then Secretary to the Anambra State Government, Oseloka Obaze, to immediately consider sending some people evacuated from the flooded communities to the Governor’s Lodge in Onitsha should there be a shortage of accommodation.
“Obi spoke while touring some of the public buildings sheltering the people at Omunwa Egboka primary school, behind the Basillica of the Most Holy Trinity,” The Nation story reads.
“The Governor, who cancelled a trip to Mexico and his participation in the Independence anniversary ceremonies because of the emergency, said the State Government would continue to feed and provide for them since they are suffering from a natural disaster that was not their own making.”
The report also quoted Obi as saying, “A few weeks ago, governors of the Southeast sent money to Haiti to help them rebuild after the Earthquake of 2010. If we could do it to them, we must do more for our people, that elected us to serve them.”
It further said the governor visited other camps, Otuocha Local Government Headquarters, Umueri General Hospital, and Father Joseph Secondary School, among others.
