President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his sympathy to families and other victims of floods following heavy rainfalls over the past weeks which have affected thousands of people in 32 states of the country.
President Buhari, who resumed normal activity on Wednesday after a five-day quarantine following international travel, expressed concern over the unfolding situation.
The President, in a statement issued Wednesday by his media aide, Garba Shehu, gave assurances that all possible support would be extended to the victims in line with shared responsibility between the two tiers of government.
“I am constantly monitoring the situation and we will ensure that all possible help is extended to victims,” said Buhari.
The President, however, called for better coordination between the federal authorities including the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) and state governments to develop a culture of respect for weather forecasts and to act upon early warnings to avert the yearly occurrence of disasters.
Meanwhile, Buhari has approved the convention of a workshop by NEMA in the coming weeks that would bring all state emergency response agencies to the table.
This, according to the statement, was to carry all the states along in the administration’s determination to put an enduring system for forecasting floods and other natural disasters through the use of technology and improved coordination.
The statement recalled that the continuing rain had resulted in the loss of homes, farms, life and the disruption of normal life.