- Gbajabiamila seeks alternative funding for agency to curb disasters
- Kaduna govt urges residents to vacate river banks
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said 179 persons have died and 532,600 others impacted by floods this year.
The agency said the floods affected 28 states so far, with 208,655 persons displaced, 80,049 houses affected, 2,016 persons injured, and 107,652 hectares of farmlands affected in 137 local government areas across the country.
NEMA’s Director General, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, announced this yesterday in Abuja when the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, visited the agency’s headquarters on a fact-finding mission.
Briefing the Chief of Staff and his team, Mrs. Umar said: “We activated the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) for recent flooding. This was done to streamline disaster response efforts. The centre is a command centre for resource management and communication.
“From the centre, the 2024 flood situation report as of Tuesday, August 27 shows that 28 states have been affected in 137 local government areas.
“About 532,600 persons are affected, 208,655 displaced, 80,049 houses affected, 179 lives lost, 2,016 injuries sustained, 107,652 hectares of farmlands affected.”
The director general explained that the agency had conducted search and rescue operations this year and responded to flood disasters, fire incidents, collapsed buildings, as well as rainstorm and windstorm incidents.
Mrs. Umar said NEMA coordinated responses to 158 emergencies, thereby aiding 118,337 individuals, rescuing 4,706 and, unfortunately, reporting 1,414 fatalities.
The director general said inadequate funding was impeding the agency’s interventions, adding: “Limited financial resources restrict the agency’s capabilities and emergency responses.”
Also, President Bola Tinubu has assured victims of the recent floods that his administration will continue to provide the necessary support to alleviate their suffering.
A statement yesterday in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said: “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.”
On why NEMA’s interventions were slow, Mrs. Umar said: “Poor infrastructure, including inaccessible roads and communication systems, delays response time.”
Gbajabiamila said the purpose of the visit was to understand the challenges of NEMA and how to overcome them.
The Chief of Staff said there was a need to have alternative sources of funding for the agency to fulfil its mandate.
He said: “I’m not shocked to hear that funding is a challenge. For what you do, a lot of money is required. But in Nigeria, like in many other countries, resources are limited. I think it is time we started looking outside the box and looking for more creative ways to fund NEMA. That is not to say that there would be no normal allocation from the budget circle.
“I am curious to ask the role of the states. Do we tweak the law or amend it? Perhaps the states should pay counterpart funding because, after all, these disasters occur in the states. Every disaster we talk about happens in the states. So, we need to start thinking and talking about what exactly we want the states to do – either counterpart funding or an insurance scheme so that if anything happens in any state, they can call on NEMA and the money pumped into NEMA can be used for the states. I feel we need to start interrogating these issues.”
