The National Economic Council reported that recent floods have affected more than 1.3 million Nigerians across 34 states in a meeting held in Abuja.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, speaking on Thursday after Vice-President Kashim Shettima led the NEC meeting, gave updates on the widespread damage and loss caused by the floods.
Soludo reported that 321 people have lost their lives, and 740,000 others were forced to leave their homes due to the flooding. He also noted that 281,000 houses and 258,000 farmlands were either destroyed or damaged. Soludo called the situation a “national emergency,” explaining that the flood impacts are “a major national disaster.”
He further said, “We’ve been called upon to note that to date, about 34 states have been affected, 217 LGAs, 1,374,557 persons already affected, and 740,743 were displaced nationwide. Also, 321 persons dead, 2,854 persons injured, and 281,000 houses were destroyed, as well as 258,000 cultivated farmlands also destroyed or affected by the ravaging flood.”
The council emphasized the need for state-level emergency agencies to work closely with the National Emergency Management Agency to respond more effectively.
Soludo said, “Council deliberated on the actions, particularly at the subnational level, and got up on the SEMA, the various state emergency management agencies, to up their game and increase the collaboration with NEMA.”
To help reduce future flooding, NEC advised the federal ministry of water resources and sanitation to assess Nigeria’s waterways and dams to find and fix structural issues. They also stressed that an annual clearing program for waterways would help lower flood risks.
Soludo added that NEC urged states to submit detailed flood impact reports if they haven’t yet, as these reports are essential for targeted relief programs.
NEC also recommended that the Green Climate Fund set up a “resilience infrastructure fund” to help communities in flood-prone areas and suggested expanding dam construction and flood control systems, especially along the Niger River and in the flood-affected south-east and south-south regions.
