The unfolding impact of flooding in Nigeria underscores the urgent need for state governors to prioritise disaster preparedness and response strategies.
Development Diaries reports that flooding in Nigeria has so far killed a total of 179 persons in 15 states and displaced 208,655 others in 22 states in 2024.
This is according to the latest data from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) recently issued a warning signal to six northern states to get ready for severe thunderstorms with high winds and precipitation in the coming days.
NiMET also cautioned that floods could occur from the heavy rain in these states.
Recall that the Minister of Water Resources, Joseph Utsev, in April, warned that there were 148 flood-prone areas in the country, and that 31 states of the federation fall within the high flood-risk areas.
It is unfortunate that despite early warnings coming from constituted authorities, states are still failing in their duties to ensure the prevention of loss of life and property to flooding.
Given the loss of 179 lives and the displacement of over 200,000 people across 22 states, it is critical for governors to prioritise investing in early warning systems and community awareness campaigns.
This can help ensure that residents are informed of potential flooding risks and can take timely action to evacuate or protect their property.
Additionally, state governments should be proactive to ensure a coordinated response, while leveraging resources and expertise to mitigate the impact of such disasters.
Governors must also focus on strengthening infrastructure resilience in flood-prone areas. Things like the construction and maintenance of drainage systems and dams to manage floodwaters effectively are areas that need to be strengthened.
Furthermore, regarding the welfare of displaced persons, besides establishing emergency shelters, state governments need to ensure the availability of essential services such as health care, clean water, and food supplies.
In light of these needed interventions, there is a need to allocate adequate financial resources for disaster risk reduction and response efforts.
This goes back to the issue of how states are utilising ecological funds given to them by the federal government to tackle ecological issues like flooding.
Reports have revealed that political interference with the allocation of ecological funds continues to hamper the country’s efforts to tackle flooding.
According to information released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), while states and local governments were allocated approximately N64.417 billion between 2021 and 2022, these funds have not been accounted for, unfortunately.
Development Diaries calls on state governors to utilise ecological funds given to them to tackle flooding in order to reduce the human and economic toll of floods across communities across Nigeria.
Photo source: CNN
