Every year, when the raining season approaches, it comes with tales of woes, fears and anxiety. It brings discomfort, burden and critical thinking to the bishop, priests and religious working in the rural diocese of Bomadi.
Catholic Diocese of Bomadi is in Delta state, but it covers the whole of Bayelsa state which is predominantly riverine area and, three Local Government Areas in Delta State namely, Bomadi, Patani, Burutu LGA’s and some towns in River State.
The raining season usually come with pains and woes as churches, priest rectory, schools and faithful are rendered homeless. The entire diocese being situated in the heart of the Niger Delta creeks and rivers is often prone to flooding yearly.
The devastating effects has always been monumental and horrific to the faithful and people of God in the Diocese of Bomadi.
Each year, the people are left with serious psychological trauma and physical pains after the flood. Properties and sometimes, life’s are lost. No shelter, no food and no clothing. Most a time, it is difficult to recover from the previous impact before another flooding rolled in. It is their home and place of birth, but mans activities has worsen the environment and therefore making the environment unsafe once the rains come.
The devastating situation has made a good number of the population in the Catholic Diocese of Bomadi helpless. Priests, religious and other pastoral agents are also helpless
At the moment, the diocese is in dire need of support and help from every corner of the world. Those in the interior and creeks are dying in silence and suffering helplessly.
The priests and religious are in pains and over burdened as they cannot abandoned the faithful and souls in need. The bishop is worried as he has been on the issue having sleepless night and day.
In October 15, 2020, Rev. Fr. Francis Ighorurhie MSP, a missionary priest of St. Paul working in the diocese, lost his life when he slipped and fell into the water while trying to navigate his ways into his flooded priest rectory at Sagbama town. It was a pathetic one and a great lost to the Church, Bomadi diocese and to the Missionary Society of St. Paul.
The diocese no doubt is very poor and needed support from people of good Will. The people need to be healed of the pains, fears and anxieties the flood had always heralded.
As a journalist who have been on ground traversing the nooks and crannies of the Niger Delta creek’s covering events and happenings, i am a witness. I can testify as my eyes have seen the pains and the huge sacrifices the priests and religious working in the diocese of Bomadi are making every year.
The terrain is difficult and everyone of us can be of great help.
Hear what Rev. Fr. Zachariah Fufeyin, JDPC director for the diocese have to say;
The Diocese of Bomadi have annually made schools and halls available as IDP camps since it has become an annual predicament the territory face.
To help the victims come out of the trauma of the lost of lives and property we were able to help erect 350 houses in Kpakiama and Odorubu community funded by CRS with food and non food item support, but monetized and given to them. This according to the beneficiaries and the communities was a great relief as many lost their means of livelihood.
This year we are carrying out sensitization program in communities that are most vulnerable preparing the minds of members of such communities to get themselves prepared as we have been told that the flood this year may be bigger than last year. Our program is geared towards ensuring that people should not be taken by surprise as it happened to many last year. More so, preparing places they can relocate to if the flood comes up this year again.
Godwin-Maria Utuedoye is the Publisher/News Editor of SouthernVoicenews.com. He writes from Warri Diocese in Delta state.