Sadly, devastating floods in Nigeria are still hitting the headlines. This year’s floods have been described as the worst in the country since 2012. Many parts of the country were affected. Official figures indicate that the floods displaced more than 1.4 million people, killed more than 600 and injured more than 2,000. The Federal Government blamed the disaster on unusually heavy rains and climate change.
The problem is not over as flooding is expected to continue this month in Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta and Rivers states.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq was reported saying “there was enough warning and information about the 2022 flood,” and alleged that local governments, states, and communities failed to act on the warnings.
Interestingly, the Director General of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Mohammed, echoed the minister’s words when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Special Duties, on November 7, to defend his agency’s 2023 budget proposal.
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He also warned that “This flood is still coming in 2023.” He said his agency had written to states several times, adding “They must be advised early to set up State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) and local emergency committees and fund them adequately.” The NEMA boss said states had “ignored” early warnings concerning this year, suggesting that the destructive consequences could perhaps have been avoided.
It is noteworthy that the Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency (BYSEMA) said 1,344,014 people had so far been directly affected by this year’s flood in the state. The agency also said 1,210,183 people were displaced from their homes. The data, dated November 4, showed that 96 deaths had been recorded, and Yenagoa Local Government Area had the highest fatality figure.
BYSEMA Chairman Walamam Igrubia noted that the flooding affected several communities across the state’s eight local government areas, destroying farmlands, school buildings and health facilities among others. He stressed that reports and data indicated that Bayelsa was the most flood-impacted among the states in the country.
The questions are: Did the state get any warning from federal authorities as alleged by the minister and the NEMA boss? What did the state government do to prevent the flooding or to lessen its impact within its territory? These questions also apply to other states affected by the floods.
NEMA has sounded the alarm on flooding in 2023. It’s not too early to start planning how to tackle floods next year.