The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Thursday organised a sensitisation programme on flood early warning strategies for Egbeda, Ona-Ara and Lagelu Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Oyo state.
In her remarks, the Director-General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, said the sensitisation programme was organised to save the lives and livelihoods of Nigerians living in the flood-risk areas during the rainy season.
Umar noted that the devastating impact of floods over the years served as a wake-up call to all tiers of government to collaborate with the agency to manage disaster risks and associated hazards.
She was represented at the event by NEMA’s Director of Disasters Risk Reduction, Dr Daniel Obot.
“In the recent past, lives have been lost, means of livelihoods and infrastructure amounting to billions of Naira have been destroyed, due to unmitigated incidences of floods.
“The rainfall and flood advisories contained in the Seasonal Climate Prediction and Annual Flood Outlook of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency respectively, have provided us with valuable early warning alerts.
“Consequently, all of us are expected to take actions that will drastically reduce the adverse impacts of floods on the entire landscape and the Nigerian population, especially for the most vulnerable persons living in communities identified to be at risk of flooding,” she said.
She said that some LGAs in Oyo state have been predicted to be affected by flooding during the 2024 rainy season.
Umar listed the 11 high and moderate flood risk LGAs to include: Itesiwaju, Ona-ara, Lagelu, Ibarapa Central, Kajola, Egbeda, Ogbomoso South, Ogbomosho North, Iseyin, Ibarapa North and Ibarapa East.
“It is necessary to stress that management of disaster risk in contemporary times hinges on community-wide participation, leaving no one behind.
“We must work together to safeguard communities at risk, protect critical infrastructure and support uninterrupted socio-economic activities in Oyo state.
“It is our hope that this sensitisation programme will go a long way in reducing the impacts of the annually recurring floods and to safeguard the private and communal livelihoods of the good people of Oyo state,” she said.
Also speaking, Mrs Ojuolape Busari, the Administrative Secretary, Oyo State Emergency Management Agency (Oyo SEMA), urged residents to stop dumping refuse into the waters ways to avoid flood disasters.
Responding on behalf of the three LGAs, Dr Temitope Kolapo, the Executive Chairman of Ona-Ara LGA, promised that the replica of the sensitisation programme would be conducted across communities and wards in the local councils’ areas.
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