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Widespread flooding caused by water overflowing from local rivers, unusual rainfalls and the release of excess water from Lagdo dam in neighbouring Cameroon’s northern region, has killed 500 persons, and displaced 1.4 million Nigerians in 31 affected states, according to government sources.
Non-implementation of environmental guidelines, inadequate infrastructure and mismanagement of special intervention funds have resulted in annual flooding. Still, authorities say the magnitude of devastation caused by this year’s flood is the worst the country has experienced.
Head of Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency Mustapha Habib Ahmed has advised all the governments of the frontline states to move away communities at risk of flood, identify safe higher grounds for evacuation of persons and prepare adequate stockpiles of food and non-food items.
Satellite imagery from Landsat 9 showed significant swelling of the Niger and Benue rivers in southern Nigeria, where, according to the U.S. space agency NASA, floodwaters “inundated numerous communities.”
So far, over 70,566 hectares of farmland and 45,249 homes have been affected, the permanent secretary in Nigeria’s Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Nasir Sani-Gwarzo has said.
Weather Advisories and Poor Preparations
In February, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) presented its 2022 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP), stating that the total amount of rainfall for this year is expected to be normal in most parts of the country, adding that dry spells of varying degrees ranging from mild to severe would be experienced across various parts of the country.
According to the report, rainfall onset dates are predicted to be about the same as long-term average dates in most parts of the country. “Cessation of rainfall is anticipated to begin in the north, from early-October to mid-November, in the central states, and finally ceasing around mid-December in the southernmost and coastal parts of the country,” NiMet said in the report.
However, in August, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), disclosed that the agency had identified 233 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 32 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) expected to experience flooding in 2022.
Director-General of the Agency Mustapha Ahmed, said at the time that advisory letters and maps showing predicted flood risk areas in various states had been sent to the respective state governments, and urged state and local emergency management stakeholders to act proactively.
However, state governments reportedly disregarded the warnings and weather advisories issued by various Federal Government agencies on the impending devastating floods of 2022.
Head of the Nigeria Hydrological Services (NIHSA) Clement Nze, during an interview with ChannelsTV that the weather predictions were out early enough to set the tone for what to expect in the course of the year and warnings issued to each state government in Nigeria and relevant ministries like agriculture, environment and aviation, informing them of the specific risk areas and the necessary measures they ought to take.
“If our predictions were heeded by relevant sub-nationals, we would not have been where we are today,” Eze said.
Interventions Towards Mitigating Devastating Floods
Under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), the Ecological Fund was established in 1981 through the Federation Account Act of 1981 with the primary objective of establishing a pool of fund that would be solely devoted to funding ecological projects to mitigate serious ecological problems.
The Fund constitutes 1% of the Federation Account and it is known as Derivation and Ecology Fund and as of June, a total of 266 out of 332 ecological projects approved within the last seven years, had reportedly been implemented across the country, while the remaining 66 are at different stages of completion.
States and Local Governments receive their share of the Derivation and Ecology Fund as part of their monthly allocation at the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) monthly meetings, but the disbursement and utilization of this fund has come under scrutiny in recent times.
As floods sweep through communities, Nigerians have continuously called on the Federal Government for assistance, but the Presidency has said State Governments should be held accountable.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu, said the ongoing flooding was not a national-level emergency and while the administration would not fail to intervene in moves to alleviate the flooding burden, states should explain how they have been deploying their share of the fund
“We call on governors of those states that have swung into action and engaged the necessary gear to continue with their efforts, and those that have not, to immediately face their duties of managing the flooding within their jurisdictions.
“Each of the three tiers, the local government, the state government and the Federal Government has a sizeable budget at its disposal, allocated monthly precisely for dealing with these state-level natural emergencies. It is not clear why some of the state governments in question are not already drawing upon those funds to tackle the current emergency,” Shehu said.
The House of Representatives has launched an investigation into remittances to the Ecological Fund and withdrawals from the account between 2010 and 2022, alleging mismanagement of funds by the beneficiaries.
The House Committee on Ecological Fund is also mandated to investigate the utilisation of the Ecological Fund by benefiting government’s departments and agencies (MDAs) within the same period and establish infractions.
Meanwhile, the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry has begun to distribute 12,000 metric tons of food and non-food items to states devastated by the flooding.