ABUJA—THE Federal Government, yesterday raised the alarm that another devastating flooding would occur in Nigeria next year if proactive actions were not taken by the government at all levels.
According to the government, early warnings given to the states in 2022 by NEMA were ignored and led to devastating effects all over the affected areas.
Speaking yesterday in Abuja when he appeared before Senator Yusuf Yusuf, APC, Taraba Central led Senate Committee on Special Duties to defend the 2023 budget, the Director General of National Emergency Management
Agency, NEMA, Mustapha Mohammed, said: “Let me also use this opportunity to prevail on the committee to intervene on our behalf. We have written to states several times. This flood is still coming in 2023.
They must be advised early to set up SEMA and local emergency committees and fund them adequately. We gave a similar warning last year but our advice was ignored.”
Mohammed told the senators that despite early warnings issued to state and local governments whose areas were flood-prone, none of them had taken any positive steps to guard against it.
He, however, explained that the Federal Government had opened up the nation’s silos and released 12,000 tonnes of grains already, which were shared with all the 36 states of the federation
He said the National Assembly should help to inform the states early enough to avoid another devastating effect.
Mohammed, who noted that NEMA lacked adequate personnel to handle disaster management, said state governments should help.