Manufacturers lament over flooding, seek FG’s intervention

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has been lamenting over the wreckage caused by flooding at the Onitsha Industrial Harbour in Anambra.

The Onitsha Industrial Harbour is a cluster of manufacturing companies located near the Bridge Head on the bank of the River Niger.

Chief Francis Meshioye, the National President of MAN, led its leadership to assess the wreckage on Friday, he described the flood as massive and unfortunate.

According to Meshioye, the industrialists are patriots working for national economic growth and were resilient in ensuring that manufacturing continued in the face of myriad challenges.

He said that government needs to realise that manufacturing is a sector that has to be supported if the economy must grow.

Furthermore, he called on the Federal Government to look into the plight and to also apply medium-term and long-term measures to address flooding at the cluster permanently.

We could not access some of the factories; the water level is so high that it has destroyed some of their machines; they have lost money; they have lost time.

Compensation is good, but preventing recurrence is the most important thing. There are options like dredging and the building of embankment to prevent overflow and construction of dams.

If the Lagos state government could address the problem of Bar Beach overflow, the Federal Government should be able to contain this perennial flooding at Onitsha Industrial Harbour,’’ he said.

Chief Paul Okonkwo, one of the industrialists, in his remarks, said it was sad that no lesson had been learnt since 2012 when the new wave of flooding started.

According to him, the 2022 incident have had worse impact on the area than in the past.

Okonkwo said that Federal Government need to find a permanent solution as well as work out incentives including tax cuts to enable businesses to remain afloat after the flood.

According to another industrialist at the Harbour, Igwe Chris Oranu, the flooding disrupted the entire production chains including the sourcing of raw materials because of the destruction of farmlands.

Oranu added that the losses incurred by the manufacturers were huge and that there was a need to create an intervention fund to help the affected businesses.

The approach to solution has to be scientific so it can be sustainable, he added.

The chairperson of MAN, Enugu Zone, covering Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu states, Mrs Ada Chukwudozoie, in her remarks, said they would analyse the situation and propose a lasting solution to the Federal government.

According to NAN, about 16 industrial sites at the Harbour were partially or totally flooded. The affected industries have suspended production for weeks.