President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has issued an order directing an immediate Action Plan to prevent the looming flood crisis across the country.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha on Tuesday, October 11, 2023.
The order came following the flood alert issued to Nigerians by the National Emergency Management Agency, in which nine states- Adamawa, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Delta, Edo, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Taraba, were mentioned, to be affected by the flood.
However, according to the statement, Tinubu who was represented by his Vice, Kashim Shettima, made the charge during an emergency meeting at Aso Villa in Abuja.
The statement revealed that the President has set up a committee to be headed by Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, with a 7-day timeline to deliver a report.
“Based on the submissions by the DG of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, the situation is not that terrible, but to be forewarned is to be forearmed. The submissions by the other relevant stakeholders are equally poignant, and we can’t afford to take chances.
“Though the situation is not as bad as we might think, we need to set up a committee so that the report of the Presidential Committee and the 2022 Federal Executive Council–approved broad preparedness plan should be harmonised and implemented immediately,” Shettima started during the meeting.
The Vice President, however, noted that a feasible roadmap would address the flood crisis in Nigeria, noting that responsibilities would be shouldered by the North East Development Commission, Niger Delta Development Commission, and the Federal Government.
“I deliberately invited the NEDC and NDDC so that whatever resources that NEMA has, they have to be released to the states so that they can start making preparations for any eventuality.
“Based on the Presidential directive, I will meet with the NEDC and NDDC chief executives for states under their coverage. There should be interventions from them.
“For NEDC, they can take care of Taraba, Bauchi and Adamawa. For NDDC, they can take care of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Cross River. For states like Ebonyi, Kogi and Benue, we will mobilise from our savings and deploy the same to assist them. We have to share responsibilities and hence the immediate need for implementing the roadmap,” he said.
