Flood kills 321 in 34 states, affects 1.4m people

The National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday said the floods that ravaged different parts of the country recently affected 34 states and 217 local government areas, resulting in the death of 321 persons.

NEC also said 1,374,557 individuals were impacted, with 740,743 people displaced nationwide.

Governor of Anambra State Professor Chukwuma Soludo disclosed this while briefing State House Correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja after the NEC meeting presided by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

He said the floods also left 2,854 injured and destroyed 281,000 homes and 258,000 acres of farmland.

• Presidency to withdraw controversial tax reform bills
• 16 die in Ibadan building collapse

He also said the council directed the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to commence a comprehensive integrity review of the state of Nigeria’s waterways and dams in a move to mitigate the ravaging impact of flooding.

He said the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Utsev, had briefed NEC on the federal government’s intervention activities across the country regarding the impact of this year’s flooding which has become a major national disaster.

Professor Soludo said after receiving the presentation from the minister, NEC 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 a serious emphasis on the need for a massive programme of dredging of the waterways. The council also urged Governors who have not submitted their reports on the situation of flooding and management in their States to do so immediately.

“Council also noted that the Green Climate Fund should have an infrastructure resilient fund component and it was also noted that there some critical parts of the country that are very massively ravaged by this flooding particularly the South East/South South that are completely omitted in the ongoing programmes of the construction of dams at least to act as speed bumps along the highways particularly in the River Niger.

“So far, around 34 states and 217 local governments have been affected. Over 1,374,557 individuals are impacted, with 740,743 displaced and 321 fatalities reported. Additionally, 2,854 people have sustained injuries, while 250,800 acres of farmland have been destroyed.”