NEMA Alerts Nigerians To More Flooding In 2023

The National Emergency Management Agency on Monday alerted Nigerians that there would be another serious flooding in Nigeria next year except for the government at all levels, put in place, necessary precautions to prevent it from happening.

The Director General of NEMA, Mustapha Habib raised the alarm when he defended his agency’s 2023 budget before the Senate Committee on Special Duties.

He lamented that early warnings given to the states in 2022 by NEMA were ignored.

He noted with concern that the actions of the government led to devastating effects in all the affected states.

He said, “Let me also use this opportunity to prevail on the committee to intervene on our behalf. We have written to states several times. This flood is still coming in 2023.

“They must be advised early to set up SEMA and local emergency committees and fund them adequately.

“We gave a similar warning last year but our pieces of advice were ignored.”

”Despite early warnings issued to state and local governments whose areas are flood-prone, none of them took any positive step to guide against it.”

He explained that the Federal Government had opened up the nation’s silos and had released 12,000 tonnes of grains already which were shared to all the 36 states of the federation

He noted that state governments needed to do more in disaster management instead of abandoning it to the federal government.