Before the Next Storm: A Call for Urgent Climate Action in Cross River State.
The winds are changing, quite literally and not for the better. Earlier this year, the fury of nature struck with terrifying precision in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State. The roofs of buildings at the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Mfamosing were ripped off by violent winds. In Oban and Ikpai villages, the same wrath left several houses in ruins and many families without shelter. These were not mere accidents of weather, they were warnings, clear and loud.
To be forewarned is to be forearmed. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has again sounded the alarm, forecasting intensified rainfall and the likelihood of devastating floods in the coming months. We cannot pretend not to hear. We cannot sit on our hands while the clouds gather and the rivers swell. Now is the time for action.
We call on the Cross River State Government to immediately establish a high-level Climate and Flood Response Committee. This must not be just another political formation. The team must be made up of seasoned experts, climate scientists, weather analysts, environmental planners, and disaster management professionals, who can identify flood-prone zones, study wind patterns, and design a rapid-response strategy to safeguard lives and property.
When the storm hits, it does not knock politely. It breaks down doors. It topples trees. It steals roofs and uproots lives. We have already seen it happen. The devastation in Mfamosing, Oban, and Ikpai must not be brushed aside as isolated incidents. They are harbingers. If we fail to act, what has happened will pale in comparison to what may come.
“A stitch in time” they say, “saves nine.” We must stop fighting fires when we could be preventing them. It is far cheaper and far wiser to prepare than to rebuild after disaster. Early identification of vulnerable communities, installation of flood control systems, creation of emergency shelters, and timely dissemination of weather alerts are steps we can take today that will save countless lives tomorrow.
Equally important, we must address deforestation, which is the elephant in the room. The relentless felling of trees in our forests calls for environmental concern, because it is a silent killer. Trees are our first line of defense against floods and windstorms. They hold the soil together, absorb excess rainwater, and reduce the force of wind. When we cut them down indiscriminately, we make ourselves vulnerable. We dig our own graves, one tree at a time.
It is often said that “when the last tree dies, the last man dies.” That is not merely poetic, it is prophetic. We must put an end to illegal logging and reckless land clearing. Community education, stronger enforcement of forestry laws, and sustainable land use practices are no longer optional but urgent necessities.
Make hay while the sun shines. We cannot afford to wait for another roof to fly off or another child to get drown before we realise the price of inaction. The climate is changing faster than we are responding. Our leaders must rise to the occasion. Let them show courage, foresight, and a commitment to protect every community whether rural or urban, upland or riverine.
The flood does not recognise political boundaries. It does not distinguish between rich and poor. Once the waters come, we are all at risk. That is why he who fails to plan, plans to fail. The time to plan is now.
Let us not be caught off guard again. Let us plant the tree of safety today, so that tomorrow we may sit under its shade. Let us act before the next storm comes knocking, not with mercy, but with fury.
For truly, “the best time to act was yesterday. The next best time is now.”
Anthony Ekpo Bassey, PhD is the executive editor of BEAGLE NEWS
