FG Plans Evacuation, Camps As Flood Hits 28 States
According to the National Emergency Management Agency, the heavy rains and flooding that have wreaked havoc across the country in recent times have spread 28 states, claiming 175 lives and displacing 207, 902 others.
Authorities have been urging residents in flood-prone areas to relocate as the rains persist, following the Nigerian Meteorological Agency’s warnings about the heavy rainfalls, urging preparedness for potential floods.
It was learnt that state governments, in partnership with NEMA, had commenced moves to evacuate residents in flood-prone areas to avert further disaster.
The Director-General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, further revealed that the agency had activated the National Emergency Operation Centre following the recent flooding.
Umar, who stated this on Wednesday when the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, visited the agency following the recent retreat for chief executives of agencies under the Presidency, noted that the activation of the centre was to streamline disaster response efforts and act as a command centre for resource management and communication.
She said, “The 2024 flooding has affected 28 states across 133 Local Government Areas. The flood has displaced 207,902 persons, affected 526,703 persons, affected 79,138 houses, 1,971 injuries sustained, 106,178 hectares of farmlands affected and 175 lives have been lost.”
She said the agency had carried out disaster assessments in almost all the states, including Ogun, Rivers, Imo, Lagos, Ekiti, Edo and Kwara, for various incidents.
“The most recent for flood assessment are in Zamfara, Katsina, Jigawa, Adamawa, Sokoto, Bauchi, Taraba, Kebbi, Kano, Benue, and Kogi,” she added.
She highlighted that the agency had coordinated response to 158 emergencies, aided 118,337 individuals, rescued 4,706, and reported 1,414 fatalities.
In his response, Gbajabiamila urged the agency to not just focus on disaster mitigation but should prevent disasters.
“The mandate that NEMA has is two-pronged. One is the prevention of disaster, the other one is to mitigate disaster when it does happen. But it appears that we concentrate mainly on the mitigation of disaster, and leave, to a very large extent, the other side of the mandate, which is prevention.
“I think in turning the page it is important that we begin to look more closely at the issue of prevention. A lot of these disasters can be prevented, and that is what NEMA is set up to do. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. And that’s the area that I think we now should begin to look at,” he stated.
The Chief of Staff to the President further stated that flooding, as has been observed, is a perennial problem in Nigeria.
“A lot of this flooding can be prevented or at least reduced,” he added.
When contacted and asked to provide additional details on what NEMA was doing with state governments to tackle the menace caused by the surging floods, the agency’s spokesperson, Ezekiel Manzo, said it was the primary responsibility of states to evacuate residents in flood-prone areas, but noted that NEMA was supporting the states.
“It is the primary responsibility of state governments to evacuate their citizens living in flood-prone areas and some of them are doing that. We are assisting them and giving other assistance to the affected states,” he said.
Manzo further pointed out that the tradition of floods was already manifesting, stressing that the agency was “calling on all stakeholders to activate all plans and preparations for the floods.”
He said, “We have reached the point where floods are becoming imminent. It is crucial that proper support is given to those already affected, and awareness is raised about the forecasted floods. For areas not yet flooded but on the flood’s track, preparations should be made to mitigate and avoid potential losses.
“Additionally, based on past patterns, many flood-prone areas in the northern part of the country will soon experience these floods moving toward the central and southern parts. Now is the time for all arrangements, plans, and preparations for flood studies to be activated. We urge local communities, Local Governments, and states to activate their plans and take action to mitigate the consequences of floods. People living in flood-prone areas should be advised to move to higher ground immediately.”
He also stated that in “light of recent events in Jigawa, Bauchi, Zamfara, Kaduna, Zaria, and other places, it is evident that this is a serious situation. Rising sea levels and water levels in the upper parts of Niger (Republic) are a cause for concern. Once the water rises from there, it naturally flows down to Nigeria. Therefore, those living along the plains should prepare to move out of high-risk areas.”
The NEMA official said floods in Nigeria were not necessarily from the rivers themselves but were often the result of rainfall within the country.
“When rains from the upper parts of the Niger and Benue rivers combine with local rainfall, the consequences for people living near riverbanks can be severe. Residents in states like Kogi, Anambra, Delta, Imo, Rivers, and Bayelsa should immediately activate evacuation plans to avoid being caught in the flooding.
“Similarly, states like Kebbi, which is the entry point for the River Niger, should be ready to evacuate. As the river rises from the upper parts, Kebbi will be the first point of contact, and residents there must be prepared to move to higher ground if necessary.
“We will continue our efforts to raise awareness and ensure the safety of our communities. I am committed to this cause and will continue working diligently on it,” Manzo stated.
It was learnt that an estimated 70,000 persons have been resettled in over 80 Internally Displaced Persons Camps in the northern region due to the flooding.
President Bola Tinubu sympathised with flood victims nationwide and has committed to providing necessary support to help them recover from the devastation.
In a statement on Wednesday, the President, through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, promised that relevant agencies would issue timely warnings to help reduce the effects of environmental disasters.
The statement read in part “President Bola Tinubu receives the news of the devastation wreaked by floods on communities and farmlands across the country with profound grief.
“The President sympathises with all victims of these ravages of nature, especially bereaved families, farmers, displaced communities, and those who have lost property.
“President Tinubu re-emphasises the need for concerted effort to address existential environmental concerns and build a more climate resilient and adaptive society.
“The President prays for the repose of the souls of the deceased, while assuring Nigerians that his administration, through the relevant agencies, will continue to provide the needed support for victims, as well as timely warnings to mitigate the impact of environmental mishaps.”
Following the damaging effects of the ravaging floods, the House of Representatives Committee on Ecological Funds visited affected states for possible remedy.
The Chairman, House of Reps Committee On Ecological Funds, Dr Sani Jaji, who led the other members of the committee to all the states affected by the floods for a first-hand assessment of the situation for possible remedy, stated on Monday in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, that the committee would work to ensure that sustainable measures were provided to ensure that all states affected were assisted to restore normalcy to their vulnerable victims.
He said, “Jigawa is one of the states affected by flooding, gully erosion, desertification and land degradation, hence the need for the committee to do all it can to offer solution to the problems confronting the people of the state is enormous.
“The oversight visit was at the instance of the Jigawa state Governor Malam Ummaru Namadi in Dutse and other strategic places within the state.”
Responding, Governor Umar Namadi informed the committee that this year alone 23 out of 27 Local Government Areas of Jigawa State were badly affected by the floods, adding that about 40,000 households were directly affected.
In addition, he said, 7000 houses were destroyed or submerged by the heavy rainfall, noting that about 6,500 farmlands were destroyed in the above-mentioned LGAs, adding that that close to 8000 people were displaced and taking refuge at several undesignated IDP camps within the state.
Providing the internal measures put in place to guard against frequent occurrence of the disaster, Namadi stated that his administration had championed the planting of 5.5 million trees within the state.
Also worried by the menace of the floods, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, said the floods had taken over a large number of the farmlands in the north.
“Speaker Abbas, while empathising with the victims lamented that such an unfortunate incident happened at a time when people were making efforts to make ends meet. He called for an urgent intervention to provide succour to the victims, urging them to stay calm while the government made efforts to address their plight,” Abass Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Krishi, said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Kano State Emergency Management Agency says it is compiling the list of flood victims from the affected LGAs of the state.
About 17 out of the 44 are reportedly affected by flooding in Kano State.
The Executive Secretary of the agency, Alhaji Isyaku Kubarachi, said, “We can’t give any information on the issue because we’re still waiting for a comprehensive report from the affected LGAs.”
The Adamawa SEMA office disclosed that the flood victims in Madagali alone were 10,246, with eight IDP camps set up in in the Shuwa, Madagali Local Government Area.
The other affected LGAs are Madagali, Yola-south, Yola-North, Fufore, Numan, Demsa, Lamurde, shelleng, Guyuk, Mayo-Belwa, Song, Toungo and
In his assessment of the flood, the head of operations Yola office of NEMA, Ayuba Ladan, stated that dozens of people were displaced and several wounded following flooding in the state.
Ladan said the Nigerian Red Cross and other non-governmental organisations were working to provide drugs and render other assistance to the victims in the different parts of the state.
He pointed out that over 10,000 persons were displaced and 10 others injured, stressing that Madagali LGA, in collaboration with the Nigeria Red Cross, had established eight IDP camps to cater to the survivors.
In Katsina State, no fewer than 11 LGAs have been submerged by severe flooding following a seven-day downpour.
The affected LGAs are Mai-Adua, Jibia, Batsari, Daura, Mani, Bindawa, Kaita, Katsina, Batagarawa, Musawa and Malnumshi.
The Katsina State Executive Secretary, State Emergency Management Agency, Binta Dangani, said “Yes, Katsina has recorded floods in 11 LGAs. There were casualties. The state government is mobilising relief materials after we have the full data of the casualties. There is a record of the dead and destruction of properties.
“We are taking a tour around the affected areas to ascertain the level of damage and to come up with a comprehensive list as well as immediate assistance to the victims. However, we have since visited the affected persons and paid condolences to families of the deceased.”
NEMA Gombe Head of Operations, Ummunah Ahmad, said the state had done a lot of sensitisation to mitigate the effects of the floods.
“We did a lot of sensitisation in flood affected areas and for areas with effects of flood we are still on the assessment. Any assessment we handle we usually ascertain level of damages and write to NEMA headquarters.”
Although the state has so far been spared the devastating effects of the floods, Executive Secretary of the Kogi State Emergency Management Agency, Muktar Atimah, disclosed that 42 IDP camps have been activated in preparation for any flooding eventuality.
