The Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Ahmed has disclosed that over 350,000 Nigerians have been displaced with more than 500 lives lost to the 2022 flood which ravaged the nation.
Ahmed while speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the 2022 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction noted that 33 states of the federation were affected by the flood.
Ahmed explained that despite early warning signals, Nigerians still refused to heed to the warnings and the current consequences is severe.
“We released early warning signals, but people do not heed to the warnings, when the seasonal climate prediction was released we alerted the whole nation and identify vulnerable area on time but has the nation will have it unfortunately, we have the country flooded”.
Meanwhile, the NEMA director general stated that President Muhammadu Buhari have approved the distribution of 12,000 metric tonnes of grains spread across the affected 33 states to mitigate the impact of the flood and ensure the provision of other relief materials.
“The President has approved 12,000 metric tonnes of grains, 4,000 trailers spread across the country and we are working towards providing more relief materials”.
“I have alerted the security agencies to help us clear their way along Lokoja road so that these materials will be duly delivered”.
He however noted that as government agencies responsible for the generation and dissemination of early warnings, they will continue to review the progress and trends in strengthening effectiveness of early warning and early action, review contributions from different approaches as well as the application of the lessons learned through the lenses of anticipatory early actions.
Also, Director General, Federal Emergency Management Agency, (FEMA), FCT, Idris Abba on his part noted that the locals being the first responders and most vulnerable to be educated and duly supported during cases of flood.
Idris stated that the ongoing demolition witnessed in the federal capital territory is strategic owing to blocked of waterways and disruption of the FCT masterplan.
He disclosed that over 250 houses have been removed in the lokogoma axis and others in Life Camp axis of the federal capital territory, this he assured is the only way to have a saner society and mitigate impact of climate change.