The Federal Government, on Wednesday, said it was providing temporary shelters in states as part of measures to tackle the impending flood that could hit some frontline states following the recent opening of Lagdo Dam in Cameroon.
Lagdo Dam was eventually closed on August 28, 2023, after it was opened on August 14, and spilled massive volumes of water that usually cause flooding in Nigeria annually.
Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Cross River have been identified as some states in Nigeria that could suffer severe flooding if adequate measures are not put in place.
But the government confirmed on Wednesday that most states were taking very proactive steps to counter the impact of the flood that could arise from the release of water from the dam, as well as heavy rainfall in-country.
The Director-General, NEMA, Mustapha Ahmed, disclosed this in Abuja while speaking on the side-lines of a national emergency coordination forum organised by the agency to tackle the outcome of the opening of Lagdo Dam.
Asked whether states had activated some of the internally displaced persons camps along the path of River Benue where the water from Lagdo would flow through, Ahmed said,
“That is for the states. We have advised them accordingly.“We met with the governors’ forum and we gave them all the advice that is necessary. And most of the states have been very proactive. So we will probably see a lot of difference this time around.”
When probed further to explain how the states had been proactive, he said, “In the clearing of drainages, water channels, desilting the rivers, among others. These are some of the forms of proactiveness that we see this time around.”
Ahmed further revealed that the Federal Government was also providing temporary shelters to support the state governments.
“We are providing temporary shelters to support the states, but these states have to provide the IDP camps. NEMA does not provide IDP camps to states, rather the state governments do that. We support them.
“If there is any need for additional camps, we give them temporary shelters and tents.”
On whether there was a budget for emergency operations that would arise as a result of the impending flood, he replied, “We don’t have any standing budget for this yet.
“The Lagdo Dam was opened and it had already been closed, so the extent of the damage will not be known immediately. It is after the flood season, that is when we can do an assessment of things that were damaged and know what the budget would be like.”
