The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has donated food items and N5 million Naira cash to Kogi State Government to help in the preparedness for the anticipated flood.
The managing Director of NIWA, Kingsley Moghalu, presented the items to the Commissioner for Environment, Victor Omofaiye, on behalf of the Kogi state Government on Tuesday in Lokoja, Kogi state capital.
He noted that the contribution which is done simultaneously in eleven flood prune states across the country is their social responsibility to the communities to help in the preparing for the impending flood.
Moghalu stated that the early warning signals by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) that the flood is likely to occur this year in the state is for governments and the people to be proactive in their strategy in order to mitigate the effects on the ecosystem and economic lives of the people.
He explained that aside from the donation, her organisation has begun the desilting to open up channels to allow the free flow of water in identified areas to reduce the effect of the flood.
He tasked the government at all levels to kick-start aggressive sensitisation campaigns to educate the people on how to maximize the flood.
He warned against indiscriminate disposal of wastes into channels which is assumed to be the major cause of blockage that lead to flooding, urging the people to be alive to their environment.
He disclosed that in the 2022 flooding, his organisation deployed vessels to move people and goods to their destination at no cause, promising to re-enact the feat if the flood occurs this year.
He commended Kogi state government for its proactiveness in tackling floods in the state, stressing that the provision of flood housing estates for victims has become a reference point to other states.
He pledged for smooth synergy with relevant agencies to tackle the menace of the flood.
Meanwhile, the Kogi state Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello thanked the Management of NIWA for the donation and pledged to ensure that all measures to hedge against the flood are adequately adhered to and to step up awareness campaigns across the state.
The governor, represented by the commissioner for Environment, Victor Omofaiye said the government would do everything within its power to ensure that the predicted flood would have little or no adverse effect on the livelihood of the people.
He solicited more support from individuals and corporate organisations to lend their assistance to the state so as to mitigate the flood.
While thanking NIWA for their continued support for the state asked for more assistance to reduce the devastating effects on the state.
He appealed to residents living on the flood plain to relocate to government facilities, saying, it takes only the living to live in the abode of their forebears.
Items donated include; 200 bags of Rice, 200 bags of Beans, and 200 bags of Maize, others are 200 cartons of Noodles and 200 gallons of vegetable oil as well as five million naira.
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