The National Economic Council, NEC, on Thursday confirmed that 321 persons lost their lives in the flood disaster which has so far ravaged 34 states of the federation.
NEC also confirmed that in 217 local government areas, 1,374,557 persons were adversely affected by the flood across Nigeria as of today.
Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, who reeled out the statistics after the NEC meeting chaired by Vice President, Kashim Shettima said the various State Emergency Management Agencies, SEMA have been directed to up their game to bring succour to the affected states.
His words, “You know the country is facing a National Emergency with regards to flooding and the reports so far identify a major national disaster. We’ve been called upon to note that to date, about 34 states have been affected, 217 Local Governments and 1,374,557 persons have already been affected. And 740,743 were displaced nationwide. 321 persons dead and 2,854 persons injured and 281,000 houses, 258,000 cultivated farmlands also destroyed, or affected by the ravaging flood.
“Council deliberated on the actions, particularly at the sub-national level, and got up on SEMA, the various state emergency management agencies, to up their game and increase the collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA.
“Finally, also some resolutions were reached in terms of how we deepen the coordination and the response. First, it was resolved that the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation should conduct an integrity review of all the waterways and dams across the country.
“There was the serious emphasis and the need for a massive programme of dredging, or desilting of the waterways and create a firm programme of continuous deselting almost on an annual basis of the waterways.
“The council also urged state governments that have not submitted their flood reports on the status of the flood and the management in their states to do so immediately. Those that haven’t done so. And then, as a recognition Council noted that the Green Climate Fund should have an infrastructure Resilience Fund, a component fund.
“It was observed that there are some critical parts of the country that are massively ravaged by this flooding to violate south-east, south-south, that are completely omitted, in the ongoing programmes of construction of dams and so on, which are to act as speed bumps along the highway, particularly the river Niger, as it were.
“So the summary is that council considered the national emergency and the responses of the damages affected, the coordinations that you place especially between the states and the federal and called for further steps to be taken”.
Flood claimed 321 lives, displaced 740, 743 persons nationwide – NEC