Nigerian Navy offers humanitarian services to flood victims

The Nigerian Navy said it was providing security and ferrying stranded commuters across the flooded East-West Road linking Port Harcourt and Yenagoa in Rivers and Bayelsa respectively.

Tochukwu Okeke, Sub-Lieutenant and Base Information Officer, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH, a unit of Central Naval Command, disclosed this on Sunday.

He said that the navy had been ferrying people and goods from flooded spots between Yenagoa and Port Harcourt as well as deployed medical personnel to care for those in need.

He said the operation was being coordinated by the Commander of NNS SOROH, Commodore Sunday Daniel-Atakpa.

“As directed by Flag Officer Commanding, Central Naval Command and under the strategic directive of the Chief of the Naval Staff to deploy men and materials to bring this hardship to the barest minimum.

“Under the directive of my Commander, this operation will continue until the flood recedes, this operation is not stopping, we will continue to deploy men and materials to render help and humanitarian needs to Nigerians because we are here for them.

“The motto of the Navy is Onward Together. So we are moving with everybody. We are informed of the hardship persons are facing here, the flood is unprecedented. On Friday, we got reports that five persons lost their lives, that’s to show you how devastating it is.

“We have been providing intervention in terms of humanitarian needs, we have been providing ferries from this Ahoada point down to that place where there is a ferry point.

“Basically, we have been providing ferries at flooded parts of the road from Bayelsa to Port Harcourt and Port Harcourt back to Bayelsa. We have also been providing medicare for persons,” Okeke said.