Ecological Challenges: Jigawa to establish disaster management trust fund

Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State has announced plans to establish Permanent Flood Disaster Emergency Trust Fund in an effort to curb the ugly menace of flood and other related ecological challenges affecting the state.

The governor made the pronouncement on Friday at the Jigawa State Government House while inaugurating a flood disaster management committee.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Hamisu Mohammed Gumel, said the state government would establish Permanent Flood Disaster Trust Fund to address recurrent flood disasters.

“The objective is for the Trust Fund to serve as a first resort emergency response for rehabilitation and relief to disaster victims on a sustainable basis. Already a draft bill has been produced by the former committee but needs to be subjected to further review before it is finalised for further appropriate action.”

“As soon as the Law on the establishment of the Trust Fund is passed and accented, a permanent arrangement will be made in accordance with the provision of the law to ensure its proper take up,” he added.

• PHOTOS: Residents stranded as flood takes over Lagos communities
• Dantata, Abdulsamad, others raise N1bn for Jigawa flood victims

In addition to rolling out and finalising operational modalities for the establishment of the Flood Trust Fund, the committee is also expected to, among other things, review and update the draft bill for the Trust Fund to see to its establishment and funding.

In 2022, Daily Trust reported how flood sacked at least 11 communities in Ringim Local Government Area of Jigawa State.

A statement by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, in 2022, revealed that Jigawa was the worst hit in terms of number of deaths recorded as a result of floods across the country with the death toll put at 91 according to the 2022 flood data of the ministry.

According to the Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), at least 57,000 people were affected by flood and over 100,000 persons were forced out of their homes as the state recorded loss of property worth N1.5trillion in 2022.