NEC audits waterways, dams as Flood kills 321 across 34 States

The National Economic Council (NEC), on Thursday, disclosed that about 34 states, 217 local governments areas were affected by the recent flooding in the country, adding that 321 persons also lost their lives.

The Council also said 1,374,557 persons were affected, 740,743 displaced nationwide while 2,854 persons were injured and 281,000 houses, 258,000 cultivated farmlands also destroyed by the ravaging flood.

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

He also said 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 step aimed at mitigating 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.

The Water Resources Ministry had earlier identified 148 local government areas in the country spanning 31 States as high flood risk areas for 2024, beginning from April to November.

According to Professor Soludo, 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 programs of the construction of dams at least to act as speed bumps along the highways particularly in the River Niger.

“To date, about 34 States have been affected, 217 local Governments, 1, 374, 557 persons already affected. And 740, 743 persons were displaced nationwide and 321 persons dead 2,0845 injured with 250, 800 cultivated farmlands also destroyed, affected by the rapid flood.”