Flood claims 200 lives, displaces over 208,000 people in 28 states – N-HPPADEC boss

BY SAKA BOLAJI

Flood disaster has claimed over 200 lives and displaced about 208,000 people across 28 states of the country, Managing Director of N-HYPPADEC, Alhaji Abubakar Yelwa, has disclosed.

He made the disclosure when he briefed the press on update of the recent flood disaster across the areas of operation of the commission at its National Headquarters in Minna, Niger State, Monday.

The Managing Director noted that the country records floods every year with varying levels of devastation on the lives and means of livelihood of the affected communities.

According to him,” these incidents, mainly attributed to natural causes and conditions, can sometimes occur because of human activities.”

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He said authorities have over the years taken steps to ensure prevention, mitigation and control measures, adding that flood disaster has remained the major and most daring and emergency concern across the country.

According to a report from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), this year, flood has so far claimed nearly 200 lives, displaced over 208, 000 people in 28 of the country’s 36 states, and washed away many homes and farmlands.

He attributed the incidents recorded to poor infrastructure, failure to follow environmental guidelines and ineffective dams’ management.

However, he stated that there were few cases recorded from torrential rainfall in some states, explaining that 80% of the worst hit states are N-HYPPADEC member states as a result of their location and electricity generation activities taking place in these states.

“The increasing frequency and severity of floods, which have caused significant disruptions to lives, property and economic activities in the affected areas makes it pertinent to address this Press Conference to further draw the attention of relevant stakeholders to situation and plights of our communities as reports indicated that the situation could get worse in coming days,” Alhaji Yelwa posited.

He added that a preliminary report from its officers revealed that in Benue State so far 634 communities have been affected with nearly 30,000 farmlands washed away.

While in Kebbi State, 6,959 households have been affected with about 10,000 farmlands washed away with the loss of one life.

The situation is similar in Gombe, Taraba, Nasarawa, Kogi and Kaduna States which poses a very serious threat to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s quest for food security and wealth creation in the country.

He said that In Niger State, it recorded the loss of 7 lives to an incident in Magama and Mashegu Local Government areas along Mokwa-New Bussa Federal Highway.

Three major bridges on Federal Highways have been affected which include Mayo-Kam and Jalingo Wukari bridges in Taraba State as well as Manyara bridge at Sabon-Pegi Kwatachi on New Bussa Federal Highway.

An unidentified number of other critical infrastructure such as culverts and flood drains, schools and health centers have equally been affected across the Commission’s areas of operations.

He remarked that these developments serve as a major impediment to the Federal Government’s renewed hope agenda and the nation’s drive to economic growth and development.