Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, has said that 740,743 persons have been displaced, 321 dead and 2,854 others injured across the country by the ravaging flood.
He disclosed this while briefing journalists at the end of the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor who explained the gravity of the damage, said council urged state-level emergency agencies to strengthen their coordination with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
He said that State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMA) must ‘up their game’ to manage the crisis effectively.
“You know the country is facing national emergency with regard 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 already affected.
“And 740,743 were displaced nationwide, with 321 persons dead and 2,854 injured, including 281,000 houses that were destroyed, and 258,000 cultivated farmlands that were also destroyed, or affected by the ravaging flood.
“Council deliberated on the actions, particularly at the sub-national level, and got up on the the SEMA, the various state emergency management agencies, to up their game and increase the collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),” Soludo said.
He said NEC also called on the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to conduct a thorough review of Nigeria’s waterways and dams to identify structural vulnerabilities.
He said council stresses the need for an annual desilting programme for waterways to reduce future flood risks.
The council urged states that have not yet submitted their flood impact reports to do so promptly, as these reports are essential for developing targeted relief programmes.