The Nigerian Red Cross Society, Edo State Branch, on Tuesday said that Edo is among the 12 states selected to benefit from the Nigerian Red Cross Flood Resilience Project, sponsored by the Italian government.
The benefiting states are Edo, Gombe, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, Enugu, Borno, Ogun, Sokoto, Niger, and Lagos.
Mr. Wilson Ekhomogiazin, Branch Secretary of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Edo State Chapter, disclosed this in Benin during a one-day stakeholders’ engagement on flooding with the theme: Flood Response, Recovery and Resilience.
He stated that from the 12 states, 400,000 households are expected to benefit from the project.
Mr. Ekhomogiazin added that in 2024, flooding negatively impacted one million Nigerians, and that steps are currently being taken to mitigate the effects of this year’s floods, especially in flood-prone areas of the country.
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The State Chairman of the association, Pastor Monday Edogiawerie, said the Nigerian Red Cross Society is set to implement the Flood Resilience Project in two selected local government areas of the state.
He noted that the selected local government areas are Esan South-East and Etsako Central.
Pastor Edogiawerie outlined the key components of the Flood Resilience Project, including the training of 50 community volunteers on preparedness, rapid response and recovery, continuous rainfall and water level monitoring, activation of early warning and early action protocols, rehabilitation of public WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) infrastructure, pre-positioning of shelter materials for affected households, needs and shelter assessments, and strengthening of community-based resilience.
He added that the Edo State Branch will further engage 25 community volunteers from Illushi, Odegume, Ifeku Island, and Okpokporo communities in Esan South-East LGA, and another 25 from Udaba, Anegbete, Udochi, and Ukpeku-Ole communities in Etsako Central LGA.
Proffering solutions to the perennial flood problem in the state, the Assistant Chief Information Officer of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Benin, Mr. Joseph Akpofabe, called on the state government to demonstrate the political will to address the issue by demolishing houses built on waterways.
He noted that unless this is done, the problem will persist, as water will always find its path.
The Executive Secretary of the Edo State Emergency Management Agency (EdoSEMA), Mr. Jerry Idahosa, said the agency has intensified flood sensitization campaigns across 13 local government areas, particularly in high-risk zones such as Etsako Central, Etsako East, and Esan South-East.
He further stated that to ensure the message reaches rural dwellers, the agency has begun disseminating information in local languages.
Mr. Idahosa also mentioned that the agency has employed town criers to improve community response.
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