ACTION IS TAKEN RIGHT AWAY BY TINUBU TO COMBAT THE IMPENDING FLOOD IN NIGERIA.

Babatunji Wusu –

In order to prevent an impending flood crisis in Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has issued an urgent command for the implementation of an action plan.

Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, issued a statement to deliver the instruction.

President Tinubu was represented at an urgent meeting at the Aso Villa in Abuja by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The President appointed a committee with a seven-day deadline to provide an in-depth report addressing the matter, which would be presided over by Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.

“According to the Director General of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency’s arguments, the situation is not so bad, but it never hurts to be prepared.

We cannot afford to take chances because the submissions made by the other pertinent parties are equally compelling.

The Vice President said, “Even though the situation is not as bad as we might assume, we need to form up a committee so that the Presidential Committee’s report and the 2022 Federal Executive Council’s comprehensive preparedness plan should be synchronized and implemented right away.

Shettima stated that a workable strategy will handle the flood situation in Nigeria, and added that the Federal Government, the Niger Delta Development Commission, and the North East Development Commission would all share responsibility.

“I purposefully invited the NEDC and NDDC so that whatever resources NEMA has, they have to be released to the states so they can start making preparations for any eventuality,” he said.

“In accordance with the presidential direction, I will meet with the chief executives of the NEDC and NDDC for the states they oversee. They ought to step in and offer assistance.

“Taraba, Bauchi, and Adamawa can be handled by NEDC. They can handle Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, and Cross River for NDDC.

We would mobilize our savings and use it to provide aid to states like Ebonyi, Kogi, and Benue.

We need to share responsibility, hence the roadmap needs to be implemented right away.

The news comes days after Nigerians in nine states—Adamawa, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Delta, Edo, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Taraba—were given a flood alert by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).