FLOOD AFFECTED VICTIMS OF EIGHT COMMUNITIES IN ISABA KINGDOM APPEALS FOR ASSISTANCE AND RELIEF MATERIALS.
Isaba
Indigenes of Isaba, Orubeke, Pere - Otugbene, Igowei, Ofugbene, Lawei, Isegbelegbene, and Igbealetebe communities in Isaba kingdom of Warri South West local government area of the state have appealed to government and all relevant authorities to come to their aid in addressing the parenial flooding in their communities.
Our correspondent reports that the parenial flooding destroyed property, farm land, fishing pond, as well as displaced many from their homes amongst others damages.
Places affected by the parenial flooding in Isaba, Orubeke, Pere-Otugbene, Igowei, Ofugbene, Lawei, Isegbelegbene, and Igbealetebe communities of Isaba kingdom in Warri South West local government area of the state are homes, graveyard, street, place of worship, schools among others.
The central chairman of Isaba community Mr Arthur Seigha who spoke after conducting newsmen around the affected places said that the flooding which started about two months ago has rendered many homeless, destroyed property amongst others damages.
Mr Seigha who called on government to intervene in sand filling the communities, disclosed that the affected communities have tried to sand fill the land, but has yielded no result.
Other who spoke including the Isaba federated youth council Chairman Prince Alphonsus Donokoromo, Prince Justus Donokoromo, Comrade Wareseimere Obadiah and Mr Justice Isegbele all lamented that the flooding has also caused health problems like typhoid fever, malaria and cholera as a result of the stagnant and contaminated water.
Some other Indigenes who spoke said that the state government through one of its intervention agency brought relief materials but added that it was not enough and as such appealed for more.
The Assistant Head Teacher of Isoun Primary School Mr Felix Ejovi in an interview stated that the flood has also affected school activities as children hardly come to school and they the teachers used canoe to go to school.
For his part, the councillor representing Isaba ward two in the Warri South West legislative arm Honourable Moses Ogugu shared in the pains of the people and implored government, the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA and other relevant authorities to bring relief materials to his people.
Going by the flooding complains from different parts of the country, it is only pertinent for all stakeholders to be proactive in addressing flood problems.q
The Vatican has launched an ‘eRosary’ in a bid to attract tech-savvy millennials to the Catholic church.
The gadget, which costs $109 (£85), can be worn as a bracelet and is activated by wearers making the sign of a cross.
The device works by being connected to smartphones via a mobile app. It features 10 black agate and hematite rosary beads, and a silver 'smart cross'. Christians wanting to use the electronic device for their prayers need to download the 'Click to Pray eRosary' app, which the bluetooth-friendly and water-resistant bracelet then syncs to.
A press release issued by Click to Pray said: "This project brings together the best of the Church's spiritual tradition and the latest advances of the technological world.”
“Aimed at the peripheral frontiers of the digital world where the young people dwell, the Click To Pray eRosary serves as a technology-based pedagogy to teach the young how to pray the Rosary, how to pray it for peace, how to contemplate the Gospel.”
The e-Rosary is by no means the first time that the Catholic Church has attempted to attract young people with technology.
In 2018, a Catholic evangelical group launched "Follow JC Go!", a Christian interpretation on the successful Pokemon Go gaming app. It let players "catch" saints or Bible characters, instead of monster characters.
The Taiwan-based tech company, GadgTek Inc (GTI), developed the eRosary as part of Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network initiative.
The app tracks the wearer's progress during each prayer and logs each rosary completed. It also contains a selection of prayers and songs.
According to the organisation's website, the app “connects you with thousands of people who, in all the continents, are praying every day for the challenges of humanity and for the mission of the Church as the Pope proposes in his monthly prayer intentions”.
It “offers you three brief moments of prayer each day” and people are “invited to join the Pope's call to connect your heart with others seeking to serve the mission of Jesus.”
Pope Francis has previously referred to the internet as “a gift from God”. However in September this year, he urged Silicon Valley tech giants to ensure that technological progress - including robotics and artificial intelligence - do not lead to a “form of barbarism” where the law of the strongest prevails over the common good.
He made the comments in an address to participants at a Vatican conference attended by executives from companies such as Facebook, Mozilla, and Western Digital as well as Nobel laureates, Catholic ethicists, government regulators and internet entrepreneurs