The Jigawa State Government has announced the allocation of N4.2 billion to fast-track flood mitigation and emergency response efforts across the state.
Dr. Abdullahi Sa’id, Chairman of the Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs), made the disclosure on Wednesday during a town hall meeting held in Ringim, the headquarters of Ringim Local Government Area.
The meeting was organized by the Jigawa State Environmental Protection Agency (JISEPA) in collaboration with the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
Jigawa is one of the states predicted to experience floods this rainy season in the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) 2025 Seasonal Climate Predictions (SCP).
21 LGAs targeted for intervention
Sa’id said the fund has been appropriated to mitigate floods and enhance emergency response in 21 LGAs predicted to experience floods in the state.
“The state government under the SEMA has set aside N4 billion, and each of the 27 LGAs contributed N11 million last month for prevention and emergency response against the NiMet predictions on the disaster,” he said.
He said the state government also established LEMCs, to be headed by the Vice Chairman of each of the 27 LGCs, to ensure effective prevention and response against emergencies.
The committees, he said, comprising 20 members, have been mandated to coordinate flood mitigation through public enlightenment and desilting exercises in communities, to ease water flow during the rainy season.
Community engagement and public awareness
Mr Adamu Sabo, the Managing Director of the JISEPA, said the agency conducted flood preparedness and environmental sanitation campaigns as well as sensitised communities and stakeholders to contribute their quota towards flood mitigation.
Sabo described the exercise as a ‘live and property saving effort,’ and urged residents to avoid acts capable of causing flood.
He said the state government was dragging rivers to ease water flow in riverine communities that might arise from the release of excess water from the Tiga, Bagauda and Challawa dams in Kano State.
He urged the participants to step down the message to their respective communities to avert the disaster.
“As an agency, we are using this medium to appeal to people to support the government efforts in reducing or preventing the impact of the flood in case it occurs because prevention is better than cure,” he said.
SEMA issues flood warning
The Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Hannafi Yakubu, also warned against the indiscriminate dumping of waste in waterways, stressing that such practices could worsen flooding.
The Emir of Ringim, Alhaji Sayyadi Mahmud represented by Alhaji Nasiru Isa-Mahmud commended the government’s initiative, noting that it would promote early flood mitigation efforts in local communities.
The exercise was attended by representatives from the federal and state fire services, security agencies, humanitarian organisations, and other key stakeholders.
