Water Institute partners Nigeria on flood management

Mr Ibrahim Dango-Daji, the Deputy Director, Land Use and Conservation Division in the ministry, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
Dango-Daji said programmes were targeted at three pilot states — Benue, Kogi and Anambra — which were intensely affected by the 2012 flood disaster, to enlighten them on dangers and benefits of flooding.
He explained that flooding, though devastating, had its benefits through silted deposits and large amounts of organic matter, good for crop planting.
He said farmers could use the opportunity to boost food production as the land would not require extra organic or inorganic fertiliser.
The Deputy Director also said that the ministry, in collaboration with the International Water Management Institute, planned to  organise workshops on flood management for victims.
He said the two-day workshop slated for July 7 and July 8, had the theme “Flood and Agricultural Water Management’’, with the objective of turning flood disasters into opportunities to boost food production.
“Nigeria, by the virtue of its location, is always associated with climatic problems, particularly flood and degradation of agricultural land, such that every year we have a lot of losses as a result of flood.
“The idea of bringing in experts came after the September 2012 flood disaster and the workshop is expected to build a climate-resilient farming community for the nation.
“It is also expected to increase food security of the nation so that instead of having losses, we shall have a way of turning those tragedies into opportunities.’’
The workshop, expected to attract stakeholders from the pilot states of Benue, Kogi and Anambra, is the first phase of the partnership programme between the ministry and the institute, the director said.
Dango-Daji told NAN that the ministry had in 2013, inaugurated a committee on agricultural resilience, which launched the Nigerian Agricultural Resilience Framework in 2014.
“The framework will establish institutions capable of dealing with the effects of climate change, particularly on agricultural productivity,” he said. (NAN)