Media entrepreneur and host of the viral talk show #WithChude, Chude Jideonwo, has returned to the scene of Nigeria’s devastating floods, travelling to Akwa Ibom one month after the disaster to document what happens when the breaking news ends but the suffering continues. While the floods received intense media attention as they unfolded, Jideonwo says he was troubled by what would happen once the cameras moved on. “The media did a fantastic job covering them as breaking news. But I knew that after the breaking news, everyone would move on. But the impact would remain,” he says. Destroyed homes, devastated farms, disrupted livelihoods and children whose safety remains at risk are among the realities he encountered.
Describing Akwa Ibom as one of the worst-hit states, Jideonwo travelled across Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Ikot Abasi, Abak and other communities, listening to residents whose lives remain deeply affected by what he calls “The Great Flood of Akwa Ibom.” For one victim he met, the devastation is painfully personal. “First day, second day, third day, that was when I was able to go back to my house. All my shoes were gone. All my mattresses were also gone. My cameras were gone. Oh God of Israel. No, no, no,” he cries out. With little left but faith, he added, “I have only solace in the fact that God is alive. That’s all. He will make a way for me.” He also spoke of waiting for help after the community reportedly reached out to the state government: “They said the village has written to them. But up till today, nothing yet.” He cries out.
The resulting report is a deliberate attempt to keep the human cost of the disaster in public view long after the headlines have disappeared. “The carnage does not end when the rain stops,” Jideonwo says, calling attention to communities whose recovery has barely begun and whose needs remain urgent. Through the stories of families and communities across Akwa Ibom, the report asks Nigerians to look beyond the spectacle of the flood and confront what remains in its aftermath: people who have lost homes, livelihoods, security and hope, and who still need help.
The special report premieres on YouTube tomorrow, Saturday, at 5PM.
WATCH EXCERPT: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbuyaj9twXn/
