NEMA: Another Flood Disaster Imminent Next Year, Says 2022 Warning Not Heeded

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) yesterday raised the alarm that there might be another devastating flooding in Nigeria next year if necessary precautions were not taken by government at all levels.

The warning by NEMA came just as members of the National Assembly from Bayelsa, Rivers and other states in the Niger Delta region yesterday berated the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq over her recent comments on the 2022 flood situation in the country.

The Director General of NEMA, Mustapha Mohammed, gave the warning when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Special Duties to defend his agency’s 2023 budget.

He lamented that early warnings given to the states in 2022 by NEMA were ignored, hence the devastating effects all over the affected areas.

Mohammed 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 committee and fund them adequately.

“We gave similar warning last year but our advises were ignored.”

Mohammed told the Senators that despite early warnings issued to states and local governments whose areas were flood-prone, none of them took any positive steps 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

Furthermore, he said state governments needed to do more in disaster management instead of abandoning it to the federal government alone.

The NEMA DG said the National Assembly should help inform the state early enough to avoid another devastating effects.

Mohammed said NEMA lacked adequate personnel to handle disaster management.

“State governments should help. We do not enjoy hazard allowance,” Mohammed added,

A member of the committee, Senator Uche Ekwunife, expressed doubts over the possibility of the National Assembly to tell states and local governments to put arrangement that could prevent flooding in place.

She said, “The National Assembly is an independent institution that is not answerable to any states. The states are also not answerable to us.

“We can only appeal to them but our constituents have a greater role to play by telling their state governments to act fast on the NEMA warning.”

The Committee chaired by Senator Yusuf Yusuf, challenged the people of the affected states to hold their governors accountable because it’s beyond the mandate and jurisdiction of the National Assembly.

The lawmakers also urged NEMA to make request for additional manpower through the head of service to the president.

They also stressed the need to review the extant conditions of service of NEMA so that their staff would enjoy special salary scale.

Another member of the panel, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, appealed to the states to use the huge financial resources at their disposal especially the ecological funds to address the environmental challenges confronting them.