In the bid to proffer lasting solutions to the ravaging flood which has affected 33 States of the Federation and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Presidential Committee was convened to review ongoing efforts toward stemming the menace.
To this end, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the distribution of 12,000 metric tonnes of grains across the 36 States of the Federation and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as part of ongoing efforts to cushion the effects of large-scale flood disasters which has led to the death of over 500 and affected over 1.4 million citizens, as well as destroyed several properties and a large number of persons displaced in some of the disaster hotspots.
Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr Habib Mustapha Ahmed, disclosed this in Abuja, during the commemoration of the year 2022 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) celebrated every 13th October since 1989 in line with the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
According to him, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development had on Monday convened a Stakeholder Consultative Forum to review the flood disaster outlook and the humanitarian dashboard, identify gaps and review strategies for life-saving delivery.
“On our part as government agencies responsible for the generation and dissemination of early warnings, we will continue to review the progress and trends in strengthening the effectiveness of early warning and early action, review contributions from different approaches as well as the applications of the lessons learned through the lenses of anticipatory early actions,” he noted.
While urging Nigerians to take advantage of the early warning released by the Agency, he, however, noted that: “We have released warning early but people don’t heed to that warning. So, this is a disaster reduction day, we are working so hard to alert the nation. When seasonal climate prediction was released, we alerted the whole enation, we alerted all the states, Local Governments with even the risk mapping, identifying vulnerable areas in time.
“But as God will have it, the nation today is where everywhere is flooded, in 33 states we have lost over 500 lives. We have over 350,000 people displaced. But we have to continue, may the souls of those who have departed rest in peace.
“There is a Presidential committee meeting now on flood. That is what I’m going to attend now and make a presentation of the present situation.”
While speaking on various intervention made by Federal Government through NEMA, he disclosed that: “the President has graciously approved 12,000 metric tonnes of grains, that is equivalent of 400 trailers which have been spread across the country.
“And we are still working on providing relief materials, food items and non-food items to each State of the Federation and relief items have gone to all the States.
“We have some hiccups along Lokoja, I have alerted the DSS, and Inspector General of Police and so on, to help us in clearing the way so relief items can continue to getting the relief items to all relevant States. But the relief items have gone to every State of the Federation.”
On her part, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management & Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq disclosed that Federal Executive Council (FEC) had last month approved the National Flood Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan that was developed by Inter-Ministerial Committee, adding the Ministry and all relevant stakeholders are drawing up an implementation framework for the plan.
According to her, the “plan stipulates specific roles and actions for all (including National, State and Local Governments as well as households, communities and pressure groups). The Ministry considers the importance of preventing deaths and loss of lives in a disaster that is predicted and occurs every year.
“You are all aware of the widespread flood that have been ravaging many States, Local Governments and Communities in Nigeria. As a matter of fact, the scale of devastation can only be compared to the 2012 floods. More than 500 lives have been lost, more than 1.4 million persons affected, about 90,000 homes either partially or completely destroyed; and still counting.
“And also destroyed are thousands of hectares of farmland; thus, worsening fears of a disruption of food supply in Africa’s most populous country. These widespread cases are in 27 out of 36 States and the FCT,” the Minister noted.
Also speaking at the sideline of the event, the Director General of FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Alhaji Abbas Idris expressed the resolve of the FCT administration towards prosecution of owners of properties blocking the waterways.
He said: I don’t think it is a blame game, it is an issue of education and enlightenment. And Nigeria is just coming up to join the league of nations whereby early warning really works well. The issue we are having in Nigeria is that when you are giving early warning to the residents or to the populace, they seem to be knowing much more than you because we believe in some cultural and religious aspects that doesn’t allow us to take early warning.
“And I always say, early warning comes from learned people and learning is from God, knowledge is from God. So, therefore, we should adhere strictly and imbibe the culture of accepting the Early warning, if for instance you are going this way and we told you there is an accident that blocked the way, you will hesitate from going there.
“So, why is it that when the learned people say it’s going to rain and it is going to cause flooding and they need you to evacuate, you will now say you will not evacuate? So, you can see there is a contradiction in our beliefs and in our culture, unless we change this, we cannot get it right.
“Please help us with that statistics; if we know there, we will move. Like I told you we have the political will to remove a structure that are obstructing the free flow of water. If you know any, no matter how big the estate is let us know, help us and share information with us and we will definitely go and remove it.
“So, this is what we are doing, we are educating the public and we are also doing the needful. We cannot ask you to go and remove your own structure.
“And do you know, if we remove your structure, we can also charge you for that removal and prosecute you, so the law is there and we are not afraid to enforce the law for the safety of lives and the property of the FCT Residents. We are on our way to prosecuting offenders,” he noted.
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