By Kamsi Anayo, Awka
Two farmers in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra state would have committed suicide following the submerging of their farmlands by flood, but for timely intervention of the villagers.
It was gathered that most farmers in the area had obtained loans to cultivate in their farms before the flood and were worried on how to repay the loans which led to two of the affected trying to take their lives out of frustration.
In the last two weeks the torrential rain fall across the South East has increased the volume of water from the River Niger thereby submerging most farmlands in the area which led to the attempted suicide by two farmers.
As a riverine local government area in Anambra State, situated on the banks of the River Niger and bordering Delta and Rivers State, Ogbaru is flood-prone.
The residents of the area are currently apprehensive over the fate of their property and children as according to them, there are no signs of government plans towards resetting them to a safer place or providing them with relief materials and medications.
From Ossomala to Obeagwe, Akili Ogidi, Ogwuikpele, Ogwuaniocha and many farm camps in the environs,are literarily swallowed by the increasing flood.
The Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET) had issued several warnings to the flood prone areas to relocate to avoid such negative incidence.
Mr Ugonna Okoli, a yam and cassava farmer in Ogwuikpele, expressed deep pain and anguish, narrating his ordeal.
Mrs Nma Ifeanyi also shared her family’s plight, and anguish,
As the family’s sole livelihood depends on farming, the devastating impact of the flood has left them distressed.
“The flood has destroyed me. It has ruined my hopes and wasted my labour. I don’t know where to start from. I borrowed money at a high interest rate to invest in large-scale farming this year,” she said.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in collaboration with the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), in June visited Ogbaru for flood simulation and sensitization exercise.
Speaking at the event, NEMA Director-General, Mrs Zubaida Umar, said the simulation was a demonstration of the agency’s proactive approach to disaster management, particularly in high-risk flood-prone states like Abia, Anambra, and Imo, as identified in the 2025 Seasonal Climate Prediction by NiMet and the Annual Flood Outlook.
