From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, has disclosed that over 500 lives have been lost, more 1.4M persons affected, about 90,000 homes destroyed as a result of flooding.
Umar Farouq stated this yesterday in Abuja to mark this year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Represented by the Director of Humanitarian Department, Ali Grema, she said: “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 that 1.4M 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.
“So, as we reflect on the present flood situation in Nigeria, let’s consider the focus of the 2022 IDDRR.
“Did we not have enough warnings or was our predictions and flood outlook wrong? Did we not act enough to prevent or mitigate what we’re confronted with today?
“While we shall not apportion blames, we need to acknowledge the fact that we all had enough warning and our advocacy was timely.
“However, communities must recognize that all disaster are local and they must take climate predictions and flood outlooks warnings seriously. We can’t outrightly eliminate flood but we can keep people safe. That responsibility is collectively ours.”
Meanwhile, the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Ahmed, said 12,000 tons of grains had been released to the 24 affected states.
“The President has graciously approved 12,000 tons of grains which is equivalent of 400 trailers which has been spread across the country and we are still working on providing relief materials, food items and none good items to each state of the federation.
“We have some hiccups along the way in Lokoja. I have alerted the DSS, IGP in clearing the way so that relief items can continue to get to all relevant states,” he said.
He called on the three tiers of government to be proactive in preventing flooding.
He said: “With this understanding of the importance of multi-hazard early warning systems in disaster risk reduction, I call on all tiers of government, private individuals, business organizations and development partners to embrace, support and take practical actions in promoting multi-hazard early warning systems in Nigeria.
“This is the time we must take collective responsibility at various levels of governance to invest in the early warning system, early actions and preparedness that are people centred, community oriented and popularity driven.
“Furthermore, this is to create access and make early warnings available at national and sub-national levels with a view to enhancing the resilience of our communities.
“This buttresses the urgency to achieve the theme of this event which aligns with the statement made by the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres in March 2022 that “the UN will spearhead new action to ensure every person on Earth is protected by Early Warning Systems within five years”.
“In our country, it is highly imperative that we continue to strengthen the existing early warning systems and strive to design new ones in tandem with the global expectations.”