President Muhammadu Buhari is disturbed by the reports he has been receiving about the flood situation in the country, which has affected over 500,000 Nigerians since January this year.
According to a statement today, August 30 by a presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, the floods and heavy rain have left around 37, 633 houses destroyed, quoting the latest data made available to the Presidency from the relevant Federal Government Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDA).
“Since January this year, flooding has been reported in Lagos, Yobe, Borno, Taraba, Adamawa, Edo, Delta, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Benue, Ebonyi, Anambra, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Imo, Abia States and the Federal Capital Territory, affecting 508,721 people.
“The destructive floods have displaced 73,379 people, 115 casualties, and injured 277 people.”
President Buhari sent condolences to all the families affected by the flooding in different States across the country, saying that the Federal government will continue to provide the needed emergency assistance to individuals and communities impacted by the disaster.
He called on public-spirited individuals and organisations to support hundreds of thousands of people in need of urgent help in the affected the communities.
The President reiterated that the tragic occurrences have brought to fore the need for States and local governments to step up their level of preparedness in handling emergencies, which remains a shared responsibility with the Government at the Centre.
President Buhari said that the Federal Government will continue to monitor the situation very closely to work more with states and affected communities to reduce the impact of the disaster, provide resources and improve response and recovery efforts.
The President advised inhabitants of the flood-prone areas to always adhere to the early warning advisories as issued by the organizations that are saddled with climate monitoring and disaster management.
