The Rivers State Government has commenced the distribution of relief materials to flood-affected residents in Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas, alongside plans to provide free healthcare to vulnerable victims.
Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Rivers State Flood Prevention and Management Committee, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, disclosed this on Friday, September 18, 2026, during the presentation of relief materials at the Port Harcourt City Local Government Council.
Odu commended the Council Chairman, Hon. Allwell Ihunda, for clearing drains and waterways to improve the flow of floodwater.
She urged residents to stop dumping refuse in gutters and waterways and appealed to developers to desist from blocking drainage channels with buildings and other structures.
The Deputy Governor said the State Government was collaborating with NEMA and the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP) to support affected residents.
She said vulnerable victims, including children, pregnant women and the elderly, would be identified and enrolled in RIVCHPP to access free medical treatment at designated health centres.
The relief materials, comprising food and non-food items, would be distributed to properly enumerated flood victims.
The Commissioner for Education, Dr. Peters Nwagor, said Community Secondary School, Rumuopara, was among schools affected by the floods, assuring that the government had identified the challenges and would work towards addressing them.
The Port Harcourt City Council Chairman, Hon. Allwell Ihunda, commended Governor Siminalayi Fubara for the intervention, noting that several communities had suffered damage to homes, displacement and loss of property.
In Obio/Akpor, Odu, represented by the Head of Service, Dr. (Mrs.) Inyingi S.I. Brown, assured flood victims of the government’s commitment to finding lasting solutions to recurring flooding.
She said Governor Fubara had directed the Ministry of Environment to identify the root causes of the flooding and develop sustainable solutions.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Innocent Worgu Wachukwu, said affected residents would have access to RIVCHPP services.
Receiving the relief materials, the Obio/Akpor LGA Vice Chairman, Hon. Joyce Nyeche, thanked the Governor and Deputy Governor and assured that the materials would be distributed strictly to flood-affected residents.
