The Nigerian Government disclosed the figures of those affected by flooding in 2023 so far, revealing that 7,353 persons have been displaced, 75 casualties and 33,983 persons affected in 10 states.
They added that 866 Hectares of farmland have been destroyed so far, and 1679 Houses damaged.
This was disclosed by The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Director, Planning, Research and Forecasting, Hajiya Fatima Kasim, Director, on Thursday in Abuja.
Destruction
Hajiya Fatima Kasim said that flooding which had become a yearly occurrence in the country, is usually caused by various factors which include improper building and infrastructure design and construction.
The NEMA Chief added that poor infrastructure and maintenance factors ranging from poor drainage systems, poor solid waste management, and harmful land-use practices such as deforestation also contributed to the scenario, as 75 injury casualties and 5 fatalities have been recorded so far, she said:
- “Number of states affected – 10 states; Number of persons affected – 33,983; Number of persons displaced – 7,353; Number of persons injured – 75; Number of deaths – 5; Number of houses damaged – 1,679 and Farmlands damaged – 866 hectares.”
Flood outlook
NEMA noted that the 2023 Seasonal Climate Prediction released by NiMet earlier in the year predicted normal to above-normal rainfall patterns for the country, citing the Annual Flood Outlook forecasted by NIHSA also predicted that 178 local government areas in 32 states and FCT are within the high flood risk areas.
Mr Mustapha Ahmed, Director-General, NEMA, said the agency deemed it fit to resuscitate the Emergency Coordination Forum meeting to give adequate attention to disaster management, he said:
- “The emergency coordination forum is an avenue for stakeholders to come together to discuss humanitarian challenges being faced by the citizens as a result of disasters and emergencies.
- “This is to foster partnership, collaboration and cooperation among relevant stakeholders in emergency management in the country,”
Agriculture impact
Mr Adeyemi Adeniran, Statistician-General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said the NBS Flood Assessment exercise in collaboration with NEMA and UNDP, gathered information on flood-affected areas and the socioeconomic consequences.
- “Six states were assessed: Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Jigawa, Kogi, and Nasarawa, with Jigawa having the highest percentage of affected households, which is 90.7 per cent.
- “The assessment focused on four key indicators: impact on businesses, food availability, health effects, and access to basic services.
- “The report showed that the consequences of the flooding on agriculture and properties were very significant,” he said.
What you should know
Recall Nairametrics reported earlier this year that e Nigerian Government, through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), warned Nigerians to expect severe flooding in 2023.
The Director General of NEMA, Mr Mustapha Ahmed, said Nigeria will witness severe flooding this year citing predictions from relevant agencies.
He added there had been seasonal climate predictions and annual flood outlooks by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), adding that the flood disaster in 2022 was a learning experience, and NEMA would also spread early warning messages to states and Local Government Areas (LGAs) and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
- “We have started early this year, as we are ready for early warning and early action. We will bombard every citizen, state and local government with this information as we want them to know that it is serious. We will not keep quiet. We want them to know that there will be flooding this year,’’ he said.